


Pains of Identity

by TylerNator



Series: Tyler Nochi [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ark Cradle, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-World Racing Grand Prix, Angst, English Dub Names, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV First Person, POV Original Character, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Recreational Drug Use, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Slow Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Suicide Notes, TCG Card Names / Terminology, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, yliaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:07:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 133,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29396697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylerNator/pseuds/TylerNator
Summary: Six months on from the defeat of the Dark Signers, Satellite and New Domino City have become unified. And Tyler Nochi, thanks to the reappearance of an old friend, will struggle between choosing to be the person he wants to be, or the person that he's remembered as. But with a new threat looming on the horizon, Tyler soon finds his personal issues are the least of his worries.
Relationships: Fudou Yuusei/Izayoi Aki, Ruka (Yu-Gi-Oh)/Original Character(s)
Series: Tyler Nochi [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159325





	1. (Just Like) Starting Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CTRL+V from FFN:
> 
> Welcome to "Pains of Identity".
> 
> This is a sequel to another story of mine, "Reverse of Arcadia", so if you haven't read that, I'd suggest going back and giving that a quick read first. Though if you're familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and haven't read "Reverse of Arcadia", you should still be able to pick things up relatively quickly. The story takes place after the end of the Dark Signers arc.
> 
> Special Thanks to 2dayIsUrDay for helping out with basic notation in the preliminary stages, AnimeAndMangaFan for assisting with Chapters Three, Four, Thirteen and Fifteen, and ProcrastinationIsMyCrime for assisting with Chapters Seventeen and Twenty.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the story.

"So, Mr. Nochi. Are you going to lie down or sit up this time?"

I brought my eyes away from the floor as I moved to the back of the couch, straightening myself up before facing the man in front of me. "You know what? I'm gonna mix it up a little and sit up." I replied cheekily, before I tittered and the psychiatrist joined me in, what I perceived by him to be forced laughter.

"How have you been?" he asked me seriously.

"Great. _Great_! Um… You know, Taze and I…" I sighed, drawing a blank as I tried to think of stuff that Taze and I had done. When there was of course really only _one_ thing that we _had_ done. "We've done stuff for the band…" I muttered, the tone of my voice showing that I was less than enthusiastic about that.

The psychiatrist nodded. "Do you still play Lowercase music?"

"No, we switched it up again. You know how we went from Mathcore, to Showtunes, to Lowercase? Well now we've gone from Lowercase to New Age Neo-Classic Cowpunk… Whatever that is…"

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Uh, fine. I mean, it's his thing. I don't really care to be honest."

"Okay. How do you think you would feel if you… had recollection of these past events and your former friendship with Taze?"

"I'd probably be more willing to go along with things than I am now. I don't know what I was like. I don't know what _he_ was like in comparison to how he is now. He keeps telling me about the kind of person I was, the kind of music I liked. Some of the things that he's said I've done, that we did together, I find it hard to believe that I'd even go along with most of it."

"I can see that you're moving down the path of being who you were before the, uh, accident. Is that a fair thing to say?"

"I guess… I mean, I'm not trying for me. I'm trying for him. No one wants to hang out with someone when everything that comes out of their mouth is negative."

The psychiatrist nodded again. "When you first came in here, you said that you felt distant and detached. Do you feel that, now that your relationship with Taze has strengthened, you're not only being the person _he_ wants you to be, but the person _you_ want to be as well? Are you happy with how things are going?"

"Well things could always be better, right? I'd love to have memories that go back further than a year, you know? But… I am happier than I was six months ago, and Taze is probably a big part of that. I know that I'm probably not what he wants me to be but… I'm happy."

"If you're happy, I'm sure he's happy too." The psychiatrist straightened up a little before asking me another question. "And… What about everyone else? Have you spoken to them at all?"

My heart skipped a beat. The others. Yusei. Jack. Crow. Akiza. Leo. Luna.

Truth be told, I hadn't actually seen much of them since moving into my new apartment, though I'd heard that Jack was now living with Carly. Yusei and Crow on the other hand were rather unsuccessful in finding places to live, and so they had been living in the garage behind a clock shop called Poppo Time. Yusei and Crow were apparently happy with this arrangement, which I personally found a little weird. But at least they had space for their Duel Runners, which is what they cared most about. Yusei had become a freelance mechanic, and Crow a freelance delivery boy. Jack… Jack was focusing on his Duel Runner, which he kept at Poppo Time along with Yusei's and Crow's because he apparently didn't want people around the apartment touching it, which is what he was legitimately afraid of.

Akiza, Leo and Luna had enrolled at Duel Academy. I'd heard that Leo was struggling a little in class but that Akiza and Luna were doing fine, academic-wise. I'd only heard all of this from Yusei, as I hadn't seen Akiza since defeating the Dark Signers, or the twins after spending that night in their apartment. This was, of course, all intentional on my part.

"No, I haven't. The last time I was with them, I almost ruined everything. I want to talk to them… It-it is a _little_ boring just having Taze… but I'm afraid… that if I screw up, I'll drive them away for good." I sighed. "I know what I need to do. I need to focus; I need to get into a better state of mind. When I'm able to do that… I think I'll be alright…"

"Okay… okay…" the psychiatrist muttered to himself, writing down notes on a tablet. "I want you to keep taking your medication. Two of each, three times a day. But really, with how you are now, I don't think there's any reason to have these weekly, uh… _conversations_ … You seem to know now what you need to do and how you're going to go about it. We can organize another appointment in, say, about a month? Just for a check-up. When are you free?"

"Um… All the time. I'm flexible, whatever you think is best."

"Okay… how about a Tuesday?"

"Yeah, that's cool…"

"The first in the month?" the psychiatrist asked. I nodded. "Alright… how's nine thirty sound?"

"Fine, yeah. Nine thirty. Okay."

"Listen, you've done really well. And you've come a long way."

"Thank you for saying so."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." He smiled. I looked towards the clock he had hanging from the wall.

"It's almost lunch time." I observed.

"So it is. Have you got somewhere you need to be?"

"Oh, no-no-no." I backpedaled. "It was just… I… I have no idea what I was getting at. I'm sorry…" I muttered as I began to laugh.

"That's okay. Actually, we could wrap this up now if you wanted."

"Yep." I said, calming down.

"Alright, well, again, if you need to talk, call me."

"I will." I nodded, getting up and standing in silence as my psychiatrist got to his feet as well.

"Good luck." He smiled.

"Thanks." I muttered, before letting myself out. As the door closed behind me, I sighed. I knew what I needed to do.

I just wasn't sure if I could do it.

* * *

"Well, this sucks…" Taze muttered, as he continued to flick through channel after channel, his unblinking hazel eyes focused intensely on the television set in my apartment.

"What sucks?" I asked, sitting down next to him on my couch.

Taze sighed. "Every single channel's doing something about the Grand Prix, even the Comedy Channel…"

"Well it _is_ a pretty big deal…" I noted. After all, the World Racing Grand Prix was a celebration about the completion of the Daedalus Bridge, which successfully intertwined the Satellite with the mainland of New Domino City. Apparently, the old bridge that I had seen when I last visited Satellite was still there, and they just built a new bridge adjacent to it. "Come on. Think about it."

"It's _only_ important if you're into Duel Monsters." Taze argued. "The rest of us would like to watch South Park without all the interruptions…"

"If there wasn't something on the Grand Prix, there'd still be commercials. At least they're not showing those depressing Life Insurance commercials at all hours of the day now."

"I guess you're right…" Taze murmured, turning to me. "So, what have you got planned for the afternoon? Because I was thinking maybe we could work on our songs a little more…"

I turned away. The last thing I wanted to do after getting back from a therapy session where I talked about Taze and music and all that stuff was focus _more_ on that. That was practically the only thing we had been doing together anyway, and to be honest, I didn't really care about it.

The unfortunate thing, for both me and Taze, was that I hadn't told him that.

"Actually, I was thinking of heading to the Library. Get a couple books."

"Oh yeah? On what?"

"Well… I dunno… just… fiction…" I murmured.

"We've only got a _little_ bit more work we need to do on the songs! C'mon, man!"

"Alright then… Fine…" I muttered.

"Awesome!" Taze smiled, getting up off the couch as I reached to my side, getting my bottle of pills. I opened it up, tipping out two, which I took together just as Taze returned with his acoustic guitar. "All the songs need two guitars to really take off though…" Taze began to play something which sounded familiar, but ultimately got lost on me. "See? You have to have the lead as an intro, and then have the second come in as the rhythm…"

"Well wouldn't you need an electric to play the lead?"

"Nah, man. We get you an acoustic so that you can play the rhythm. Neither will overpower one another that way."

"If you say so, but you _know_ I'm not that good…" I stated. With the work that we had done, it might've been my lack of effort, or just the blatant fact that I suck, but it wasn't as if it was _unknown_ to him. Still, every time he'd start off like this, I'd have to remind him.

"You just need to have a little faith in yourself, that's all." Taze sighed.

"You sound just like Explosivo…" I muttered.

Taze looked at me sternly for a couple seconds before turning away. I had told him that I was able to communicate with Duel Spirits, though I don't think he really understood what it all meant. I didn't expect him to understand it, but I really wanted him to. All I really had was these brief memories that were more or less like puzzle pieces that I could never figure out where they were supposed to go, and Taze didn't really know that much about the new me.

"By the way, how's it been trying to accumulate the rest of the set?" he asked.

"It's been going great." I answered truthfully, knowing exactly what he meant. "Maybe I'll actually start playing again."

"Are you thinking of entering the Grand Prix?"

"I'm not sure. The rules say that you need at least two people, and you compete as a team. Apparently, there's a maximum of three on a team. Yusei, Jack and Crow have probably promised to compete together, so that makes me the odd one out."

"That's just an assumption, isn't it? Why don't you ask if you can compete with them?"

"Well I don't want them to have to choose between two people. And it's not right if Yusei had already promised Jack and Crow that he'd ride with them, and then I come in and ask if I can be on the team. It would just be awkward." Plus, I couldn't even talk to them yet anyway, not until I had sorted myself out.

"Alright. It was just a suggestion…" Taze sighed. "Okay, how 'bout this: Worst comes to worst, you don't get to ride on a team. What if I managed to book us a gig playing at the Stadium during the Grand Prix?"

I threw my head back, thinking to myself how ridiculous that would be.

"I probably wouldn't be up for it, even if you were. I'm hardly comfortable singing in the shower, so there's no way I'd be able to sing in front of pretty much everyone in New Domino." I stated, trying to coax Taze into dropping the idea.

"You _do_ realize that it's _just_ a _Duel_ _Monsters_ Tournament, right? Not that many people will come to watch that sort of thing…"

"Dude, New Domino City was _deserted_ during the Fortune Cup. Everybody in the City was at the Stadium watching what was going on…"

"Of _course_ they were. There was a crossdresser as one of the contestants… How would you _not_ go to see that?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, apparently someone dressed up as his sister and took her place in the tournament."

"Who'd _do_ something like _that_ …?"

Taze laughed. "I know, right! But that's beside the point. You really shouldn't be worried about performing or anything. Your voice is fine. It's got good volume, you're on pitch. You're just… straining it a little."

"It's kind of hard not to strain my voice when I either have to belt or scream everything out. There is no pitch. Last week, after we ran through most of our songs, I lost my voice."

"Alright, fair enough…" Taze sighed. "Maybe we don't need to do any more work today then. I'll finish the songs myself, but the next time we meet, we'd better get started on planning out a setlist."

"Okay fine…" I muttered.

Taze nodded, getting up off the couch as he put his guitar back in its case. "I'll call you in a couple of days then…" With that, Taze left my apartment and I shrunk back on the couch. I wasn't sure that what I was doing was the right thing to do, going along with what Taze wanted. Unlike before, there was no supernatural force or 'assigned guardian' around to dictate what I did or how I did it. I was in complete control of my own destiny, yet I still felt pressured to go along with what Taze wanted because it occurred to me that it was also what 'the old me' probably would have wanted too.

Right at that point though, I didn't care what 'the old me' wanted. _I_ just wanted to get on my Duel Runner and hit the road, which is exactly what I did.

* * *

Retrieving my Duel Runner from the underground parking, I then took to the streets of the new Daimon Area, which had since experienced a dramatic change in its look, thanks to the devoted people at the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, which was a recent amalgamation between Sector Security and the New Domino Public Administrations Bureau. New buildings had cropped up around town as well, such as the Daimon Square Public Library, copious dance clubs, and an unnecessary amount of fast food joints, mostly just McDonald's and MOS Burger.

I went down to the Library and spent the better part of the day reading books about personality, as well as some non-fiction on how to correctly manage stress. Whenever I'd go down to it, I'd almost always find the Library filled with school students who were either supposed to be studying, but were on Facebook, or who actually _were_ studying. The latter was very rare to see.

I stayed at the Library until a few hours before closing time, at which point I took a drink from a nearby fountain along with another two pills. I got onto my Duel Runner and was ready to head on home until I got a call from Taze.

I still hadn't got used to it yet. I had to get a new phone because my mom supposedly canceled the phone plan she had me on a few days after I called her. So I managed to get a really crummy phone on a limited plan for a really good price, _and_ I got to keep my old number, so that was pretty good.

Ringtone or not, I found it surprising to be getting a call from Taze, especially since he said the next time he'd call would be in a of couple days. Usually whatever he had to say could wait until then, and so he wouldn't call. Nevertheless, I answered, fully expecting him to be wanting to talk about the band when I did so.

"Hello?"

"Dude! You gotta get over here _now_!" Taze shouted. "There's some freaky shit going on!"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down…!" I cautioned. "Where are you?"

"Just outside the city. You know where the old park was? There's like this crater, and a ton of cops are around. Something crashed here… I can't explain it, you'll just have to come and see."

I put my phone to my chest and looked down at the floor slowly, almost aimlessly. I heard Taze call my name, asking if I was still there, his voice muffled from my phone against my body. Silently, I raised my phone back against my ear.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

I drastically decreased the speed of my Duel Runner once I saw the sheer number of vehicles that were parked near the curb protecting the sparse grass which receded further towards the crater. To be honest, I wouldn't have actually noticed it if it wasn't for the bright yellow tape surrounding it that read ' _Access restricted. Do not cross_ ' along with the horde of people around, most of them members of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, and all of them making noise.

As I treaded the ground, I found myself recalling that moment six months ago, where I had stared into a crater almost like this one. The site of the Original Momentum Reactor. Although the depth of the hole wasn't the same, the feeling that accompanied it was. Uncertainty.

The wind howled, tugging at my clothes as I slowed my breathing. I walked unhurriedly, silently making my way over to where Taze was standing. Members of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau were occupied with holding back some of the nosier members of the crowd.

"What do you think could have made this?" Taze asked, not even looking at me.

"I don't know…" I muttered, my eyes scanning the ground ahead for some sort of debris, but there was nothing. Just a crater surrounded by yellow tape.

My body started to shake. I could feel that something dark and sinister had come from the crater. Something had been here, and we'd missed it.

But I knew that this was just the beginning.

A sign of things to come.


	2. Ghost

"The twenty-two year old was on his way home from a friend's house around one o'clock yesterday morning when he was challenged to a Duel by someone with an unregistered Duel Runner. The man was killed when he apparently lost control of his Duel Runner, and collided with the side of Eastern Combat Lane A22. It's the fifth fatal accident to occur in New Domino City this week, and security still has yet to give a statement. Citizens of New Domino City are calling this individual, who has not been officially identified, as 'The Ghost'."

Taze and I sat in my apartment, listening to the news report. Well, _I_ was listening. Taze was tinkering with his guitar not really paying attention to anything else. I looked to him silently as his eyes kept to the neck of the instrument, his focus intense. I turned back to the television.

"Once again, we urge everyone on Duel Runners to be safe on the road and in the Combat Lanes. Be sure to have your auto-pilot active while Turbo Dueling, and make sure you know your opponent. Also a reminder that standard road rules apply outside of a Turbo Duel, and all non-Dueling vehicles must abide by Central Grid Authority and vacate all in-use Combat Lanes. This is Brendan Dross reporting for the New Domino News Network."

I switched the television off, silently putting the remote down as I wordlessly began to ponder everything I had just heard.

"Shame…" Taze muttered, before immediately perking up. "So anyway, I thought for the band we could-"

"Are you serious?" I cut Taze off. "Did you not just…?! Someone just _died_ , Taze. That's like, five people dead in over a week." It had to have something to do with that crater. It had to be more than a coincidence. What? Some random object falls from space and crashes into Earth and now some guy is riding around and all these 'accidents' are happening? No. There was something else going on. Something more that we weren't seeing, that we weren't being told. There had to be. I felt it at the crash site, and every time a news report came on, I'd feel it again.

"Well what the Hell do you want _me_ to do?"

"Well, I don't know what _you're_ going to do, but _I'm_ gonna go out there and find out what the Hell's going on!"

"Oh yeah, you're totally just gonna go to the Public Security Bureau and be like 'Hey! Tell me what's happening!', right?" Taze mocked.

"No. I'm gonna head out on my Duel Runner and find this guy who's _murdering_ people!" I asserted.

Taze seemed to take a moment to process what I just said. "That's even crazier! Were _you_ not listening to the news report?! Everyone who has gone up against this guy has either died or ended up in the hospital! I need you alive and kicking! We need to do these songs for the band!"

"Forget about the band for like five fucking minutes, dude! Seriously! People are getting killed, probably right now, and I'm perfectly capable of doing something about it!"

Taze sighed. "So… these six months then have just been a joke to you, or what?" he asked, moving his hands about.

"Excuse me?"

"You want to waste what we've been doing for the past six months?"

I closed my eyes. "Okay… So us becoming friends… That doesn't matter to you unless we have some music written down on a sheet of paper. Is that it? That's all you care about? Because that's what I'm getting from what you just said."

"How many pills did you take before?"

"Two. That's what I was prescribed. Why are you changing the subject?"

"Right, well I'm gonna leave. Hopefully when I see you tomorrow, you'll have come down off whatever it is you're on." Taze said, getting up after hastily packing away his things.

"Wait, _what_?"

"Have a good night, Tyler." Taze snarked, his guitar case violently knocking against the side of his right leg as he left my apartment.

I sat back against the couch as my body twitched in frustration. As I started going over what had happened, I shook my head. I _couldn't_ think about what just happened with Taze when there was this 'Ghost' going about! The more time that I spent in my apartment meant less time I could be out looking for him.

I got up and walked over to my set of drawers, getting my deck box from underneath a pile of my un-ironed clothes.

I opened up my deck box and proceeded to sift through my cards. Most of the people that had gone up against this Ghost had been practicing for the Grand Prix, so the majority of them were tournament-level players. I wasn't sure of the chance that I'd have against this guy, especially since I hadn't really Dueled against anyone in a while, much less even a Turbo Duel, but I wasn't about to let some guy keep on killing people when Security seemed adamant in just letting things be.

Besides, I helped Yusei and the others defeat the Dark Signers, so that had to at least count for something.

_Yusei_ …

I fidgeted, turning to shut the drawer as I took a moment to look around my apartment.

I grabbed my keys and started locking up, hoping I wouldn't run into Yusei or any of the others while I was out.

* * *

I kept my eyes focused intently on the path in front of me as I continued down the road. Traffic whizzed past me. All cars and vans. No Duel Runners. I sighed, bringing my left hand up, running it along the side of my helmet before sliding it back down again.

The news report said that the Turbo Duel had happened in one of the Eastern Combat Lanes, so I figured that my best bet was to take the eastern tunnel entry to the Underpass, get on the Highway and head east and just ride around for a little while, hoping I'd run into the Ghost at some point.

I know it wasn't really much of a plan, but I hadn't really had much time to think of one since just deciding that I'd go out and look for him. I probably should've been a bit more organized and spent some time actually thinking about the best course of action to take instead of just riding around, almost aimlessly, expecting to bump into this guy.

Then again, no one ever expected to run into the Ghost, and those that did were either dead or injured. I wasn't actually worried about the prospect of dying, strangely enough. I was more focused on tracking this guy down and hoping that I'd be able to put up a fight.

My heart pounded furiously in my chest as I heard another Duel Runner approaching from behind me. I could tell because the sound of the engine was cleaner, lighter. My tension was relieved, albeit only slightly, as a symbol flashed on my Duel Runner's front screen, showing that the Duel Runner behind me was in fact a registered one.

I turned to my right as the person came up beside me. It was someone that I hadn't seen in person since I left the Satellite, someone that I was certainly less than enthusiastic about seeing.

"C-Crow!" I stammered.

"Hey, Tyler! Long time no see!" Crow cheered. "What have ya been up to?"

My blood ran cold. Truthfully, I had been avoiding him, Yusei and the others. But I couldn't tell him that, and it wasn't anything to do with him. I sighed.

"Therapy." I said, my voice a little shaky. "You?"

"Working long hours." Crow replied. "You out here for the same reason as us?"

"Yeah, I've uh… I've been having these weird feelings that something's been going on."

"You know, Tetsu was done in a couple hours ago."

"Shit, you serious? Is he alright?" I asked.

"He's in the hospital but he should be fine."

"What did he say?"

"Well it's definitely a person riding around, but he only targets Turbo Duelists. And apparently, Synchro Monsters don't work against him."

"That's not good…" I muttered. My body twitched as I forced myself to ask a question that I was sure I already had the answer to. "So I take it Yusei and Jack are out here as well?"

"Yeah. We split up to cover more ground."

While I was relieved at the reduced possibility of having to see Yusei or Jack for the time being, I was still worried for their safety. I mean, I knew that either of them could probably handle the Ghost with no problems, but still…

"You sure that's wise?" I asked.

"You came alone." Crow pointed out.

"Exactly."

"Crow, who's there?" I heard Yusei's voice come through on Crow's Duel Runner. Yusei must've been doing a video call with Crow, and probably Jack as well. My heart skipped a beat.

"Tyler." Crow smiled.

"Really?" Yusei asked, sounding legitimately surprised. "Put him on the call." he said.

I cringed. This was not at _all_ how I thought this night was going to go. "I-I don't th-think that's…"

I tried to protest, but before I knew it, another icon briefly flashed on the screen and Yusei's face appeared in a little window. "Hey, Tyler." He greeted. "How've you been?"

I froze up, my entire body tensing as my heart and lungs felt like they were about to burst. I closed my eyes, trying to stay calm whilst in the midst of a panic attack.

"Good." I could just barely answer. "I've been… good…" There was literally no tone to my voice. It was just a low, dry grumble. I only then just noticed that there were two other windows on the screen, one of Jack, and the other for Crow. "Hey, Jack…" I muttered.

"Hey." came Jack's reply.

A long silence followed. Although my panic had died down, I was still feeling awkward talking to everyone, even through the screen on my Duel Runner. I realized though, that at least for the moment, I had to focus on what was really important and try and get over my own insecurities.

This wasn't about me. This was about finding the Ghost and putting an end to him.

"Alright, guys! Give us a shout if you see him! We'll be right there, right, Tyler?" Crow asked, turning to me.

I nodded.

* * *

The sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the city in a faint glow. We'd been out for almost the whole night looking for the Ghost, but none of us had had any luck at all so far. And I was dead tired.

"Looks like the sun is starting to come up." Crow said.

"We've been riding around for this long and he _still_ hasn't shown up…?" Jack muttered, his voice coming through my Duel Runner.

I yawned, shaking my head a little. "Well if he hasn't shown up yet, I doubt he'll show up now. Maybe we should pack it in." I suggested.

"No way!" Jack shouted. "The Ghost is here, and we're gonna find him!"

"Jack's right!" Yusei asserted. "If we don't find this guy and put a stop to him, more innocent people will be put in danger."

"Well I've been watching the news every night, and they're saying all these attacks are happening either really late at night, or really early in the morning. And we'd probably know if he'd attacked someone else, right? I mean, we haven't seen any ambulances drive by or anything. Maybe it's not something this guy does every night. He's… he's got to sleep, hasn't he?"

"Maybe…" Crow muttered.

There was a moment of silence from the others before Yusei gasped. "H-he's here! It's the Ghost!" He shouted.

"What!? Where are you now?" Jack asked.

"I'm in the Central Lane at the moment. H26." Yusei explained.

"Okay, we'll be right there! Kick his ass, Yusei!" Crow encouraged, before he increased his speed. He switched lanes, moving up and in front of me before speeding up again.

Something came at me and I flinched, making my Runner stop dead in its tracks. It took me a while to compose myself, as my heart was back to pounding in my chest. I heard a voice echo throughout the city, stating that a Turbo Duel was about to begin, before asking all pedestrian vehicles to vacate the lanes.

"Tyler! Why'd ya stop?!" Crow's voice came through.

"What?! Tyler stopped?" Jack shouted.

"Something almost hit me!" I explained. "And Crow, you kinda cut me off anyway! But look, that does-that doesn't matter. You guys just go on ahead! I'll be there soon…"

"Fine…" Jack grumbled.

"The Hell was _that_ …?" I mumbled. I sighed, taking my Runner to the side of the lane before beginning to backtrack. I didn't even know what it was that almost hit me, and I knew that, in comparison to what was also going on, my stuff wasn't really important, but still…

It took about ten minutes or so. My speed was slow, probably three miles an hour if that, but I found what I was looking for. I threw my Runner into park, got up off it and walked over to the object.

Crow's headband.

As my eyes kept on it, my mind almost went ten to the dozen. Seriously, why would Crow be wearing his headband under his helmet?! And how could it even get dislodged and fly off?!

I sighed, deciding not to try and think about the likelihood or logic of the situation and just pick it up and hold onto it so I could return it to Crow.

Of course, Crow was now so far ahead of me, and if he kept a constant speed, even if I pushed my Runner to its max, I still wouldn't be able to catch up to him.

Clutching Crow's headband in my hand, I walked back over to my Duel Runner. I almost dropped it as I saw what was on the screen.

The massive monster that Yusei was facing.

It might not have been as big as the Earthbound Immortals were, but it was still pretty impressive, and Yusei looked to be in pretty bad shape.

Adrenaline coursed through my body as I got back on my Duel Runner and took off, pushing my Runner to try and make up for time.

A few minutes in, I just decided to map out my route, turn the auto-pilot on and watch Yusei's Duel with the Ghost. I soon found out what Crow meant about Synchro Monsters being useless. Yusei'd had his Stardust Dragon absorbed by that robot monster the Ghost had, with Stardust's attack power being added to the other monster.

I brought my hand up and then down, slamming it onto the side of my Duel Runner. I turned the auto-pilot off as I absolutely pushed my Duel Runner as fast as it could go. I took the turns a little too quickly, but I eventually caught sight of the lane that Yusei said that he and the Ghost were in.

I smiled as although I couldn't see Yusei, I could see that he now had his Majestic Star Dragon in play, and that was enough reassurance for me that Yusei would be fine. The dragon charged at the metallic beast, obliterating it and cloaking the area in white fire. I had to slow down and shut my eyes from the intensity of it, and when I opened them again, neither Yusei, nor the Ghost were anywhere to be seen.

"Yusei, what's going on? Are you okay?" I asked, looking down at the screen.

Yusei breathed heavily before replying. "I'm fine…"

"You don't sound fine." I observed.

"The damage in that Duel was real… I felt it…"

"What, you mean like with the Dark Signers?"

Yusei exhaled sharply. "Yeah…"

"…Fuck…"

"But look, we can't worry about that right now! The Ghost fell off the lane! We have to go help him!" Yusei insisted. "We can't just leave him!"

I nearly scoffed at that, but I held it in. While I thought it was nice that Yusei was willing to _anybody_ in need, I was also irritated by that fact, especially at that present moment. This guy killed, like, five dudes, injured Tetsu, and others, and Yusei wanted to _save_ him. Why couldn't he just let him die?

I didn't want to say any of that for fear of Yusei or the others thinking I was a more horrible person than I already seemed to be, so I just stayed silent as I picked up the pace just a little bit.

There was smoke in the distance, a lot of it. It kept rising, twisting upwards towards the sky, almost blocking out the sun. I slowed my Duel Runner to a stop, looking down towards where the smoke was coming from.

A clearing below the Highway, but there was absolutely no way in Hell that the Ghost could've survived the fall and then escaped in time before his Runner went up in flames.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Sighing, I reached in and pulled it out.

It was six thirty in the morning.

And Taze had sent me a message.


	3. The Way Old Friends Do

I turned away quickly as I drew the curtains back, the sudden burst of sunlight making my eyes water. My eyes adjusted slowly until I could see again. I smiled. Putting on my now usual attire of denim, I then sprayed myself down with deodorant before setting myself down to continue on with my work.

With everything that had happened with Taze, I realized that I was partly to blame as well, so I decided to spend the morning working on a song of my own in order to try and meet him halfway. I figured that if I could show him that I was, at the very least, trying to get involved with the whole music thing, then maybe we'd be able to get on a little better.

He came over just as he said he would, and I almost right away launched into what I had done. Taze seemed excited to hear that I'd done some work on my own, but as I played for him, the smile he'd had when he first came around slowly faded, until right at the end I noticed it was a complete look of disdain.

"Wh-what do you think?" I asked. "Is it bad…?"

"Come on, Tyler. That's 'Losing My Religion'." Taze said.

"What do you mean?"

"The passage, what you played. That's already part of a song. 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M." Taze explained. "You know that, don't you? Or are you just trolling…?"

"No… I don't." I replied honestly. "I've never heard of them, or him, or her, or it, or whatever that is."

Taze rolled his eyes, sighing audibly before turning away. "Bloody amnesia…" I thought I heard him say.

"Excuse me?" I asked, not sure of what it was he actually said, and hoping to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Nothing…" Taze mumbled.

"The only songs I've got on my phone are by Pink Floyd, Steppenwolf, the Cast of Smash and Queensr… Quens…" I sighed. "How the Hell do you pronounce the 'y' with two dots on top?"

Taze turned away from me before getting to his feet. "You know, I think I'd better go."

My heart sank. "Oh…"

"Yeah… I've got stuff to do…" he said, putting his guitar back into its case as he got up to leave.

"Taze, wait!" I called. He turned back to me, almost paralyzing me in his scornful stare. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I decided to just be honest, and ask him what had been most prevalently on my mind. "I told you that when we first met up that I wasn't the same person that you knew. You said that that wasn't a problem, and that you'd be supportive of me and whatever I decided to do, but I'm not getting that from you now… All you want to do is play music, and that's fine, but… I'm not into that… I might have been when I was younger, but I'm not now… I'm willing to try… You _have_ to know I've been trying… I mean, this is fine and everything, but… But I need to know… Am I… Is me being an amnesiac an issue for you?"

"Queensrÿche changed its name to Operation: Mindcrime years ago." He simply said. Taze turned away from me before quickly opening the door to my apartment, and letting himself out silently.

I sighed. It happened again. Twice had Taze left my apartment this way within such a short amount of time. I'd barely gotten any sleep the last few days because I was so engrossed in getting this right. Now though, it had just seemed like it had been a waste of time.

I tore the sheets of paper up before stuffing them into the trash. My eyes then wandered to the dresser, and the item still resting on top of it.

Crow's headband.

I had been putting off returning it. Not because I wanted to keep it, but because I was still hesitant in talking with him, Yusei, or any of the others, even with what happened with the Ghost. I knew it was dumb to keep holding onto something that wasn't mine just because I was afraid of having a conversation with them and the like, which is why I decided that I'd head around to Poppo Time, just to give Crow his headband back.

I really didn't even know what I was worried about, they probably wouldn't have even been home, I thought. And if that was the case, then I could just give it to their landlord and be on my way.

* * *

Skidding to a stop outside the garage, I saw Yusei and Crow helping Jack work on his Duel Runner, which was connected to a benchmarking program. My heartbeat increased as an uneasy feeling worked its way through me. I clutched Crow's headband tighter.

"The engine's remote synergy is holding steady at eighty percent." Yusei stated.

"What?!" Crow shouted. "What about the power surge? The output is still in the red, so where's the Momentum going?"

"Who cares?!" Jack barked. "It's fixed, and that's what counts!"

I exhaled shakily as I knocked on the door softly. "Hey…" I muttered.

Yusei and Crow turned to me, slight smiles on their faces. "Hey, Tyler."

"Sorry for the other day. Um…" I mumbled, before a smile broke onto my face. "This is what nearly hit me." I said, holding up Crow's headband.

"Crap! My headband! I was looking all over for that when we got back from the Highway!" Crow shouted, rushing over to me as I handed it over to him.

"Yeah… Again, I'm really sorry for what happened…" I apologized.

"Oh, you mean how we hadn't seen you in six months, and then you just show up for a night before leaving us to go pick up the pieces again, no call, no text, nothing? You just abandoning us after the Ghost crashed?" Jack asked.

"I-I know, alright, I know. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind and… probably a lot of what I did and said didn't make much sense to you guys, but I really am sorry."

"That's okay, Tyler." Yusei assured me. "We understand."

"Thanks, Yusei." I smiled as I felt my face getting a little bit hotter. "So… uh… What happened with the Ghost?" I asked.

Yusei and Crow turned to each other. "Well, it's kind of a long story." Crow began. "See… The Ghost… Wasn't a person, really…"

"What do you mean?"

"The Ghost was a robot." Yusei said.

" _What_?" I scoffed.

"It was something that the Public Security Bureau had apparently been working on for a while. Mina called them 'Riding Roids'. The original idea was that it would reduce the amount of officers needed to be out on the streets at any given time. It was designed to catch criminals, but…" Yusei trailed off.

"Someone got their hands on the prototype and reprogrammed it to go around and attack any Turbo Duelist it could find." Crow added.

"Who'd do something like that?" I asked.

"We don't know, But Mina said that she'd be able to handle everything else and we shouldn't worry about it." Yusei sighed. "Anyway, since that night, Jack's Runner has been having a few issues, so we've been helping him fix it." Yusei clarified. "How's yours, by the way?"

"Oh, it's fine. Thank you for asking." I smiled. "So what exactly is the problem with Jack's?"

"The motor keeps overheating and there seems to be a Momentum displacement." Crow said.

"Well there _was_!" Jack piped up. "But my Runner's fine now, see?" Jack revved his Duel Runner a couple times, causing the cards in the Runner's Deck Zone to fly out everywhere as smoke began to seep out of the engine. "What?!" Jack cried.

"Not again!" Crow yelled.

"Would you please quieten down?!" a voice asked, I turned to see an elderly woman wearing glasses standing near the doorway at the top of the stairs. "I'm trying to watch Operation Criminal Mind Control and I can't hear the television because you're making so much noise down here!"

"Maybe it would help if you had a hearing aid…" Jack mumbled, quiet enough for the woman not to hear.

"Sorry, Zora." Yusei apologized.

"Has Eaves chilled out yet or is she still being weird?" Crow asked the woman.

"The next one who mocks my soaps gets to clean this garage from top to bottom!" Zora shouted, causing Jack and Crow to edge back slightly. "Oh… Hello, who are you?" Zora asked, having only just noticed me.

"This is Tyler." Yusei interjected. "An old friend of ours. The one I told you about."

"I-it's nice to meet you, ma'am." I added politely, taking note that Yusei had supposedly mentioned me in prior conversation.

Zora smiled warmly at me. "Nice to meet you too. I hope that you won't be like these two while you're here." Zora sighed, all but glaring at Jack and Crow.

"What do you mean 'like us'?" Crow asked.

"Like you're _never_ content unless you're causing a racket!" Zora snapped. "From inside, I can't tell if you're fixing something or _breaking_ something!"

"Uh… no, ma'am. I won't cause a racket…" I muttered.

"Good, because these two are on _very_ thin ice! Now, I'm going back to watch my show, and I don't want to have to come out here again! Is that understood?" Zora asked.

"Yes, Zora…" Jack and Crow both groaned. Zora then turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Well… _she's_ in a good mood today…" Crow snidely remarked.

"I think the old hag needs to get out more!" Jack added. I glanced towards the door, hoping Zora didn't hear that.

"C'mon guys!" Yusei chided. "She's letting us stay here without having us pay any rent or utility costs. So be grateful. And Jack, you live with Carly anyway. You're a guest here, so why not show Zora some respect?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Crow muttered, looking at the cards scattered along the floor. "Anyway, we'd better take care of this… Tyler, would you mind helping me clean these up?" he asked.

"Not at all!" I smiled, crouching down and picking up some of the cards. "Hey, can I just ask… Why'd you put your Deck in the Runner when there's no point in having it in there since it's the motor that's the problem?"

"That's _exactly_ what _I_ said to _him_!" Crow sighed. "But what can ya do? It's like talking to a wall sometimes…"

"So, Tyler. I never really got to hear how you've been going lately. Everything okay?" Yusei asked, his eyes focused on the computer screen in front of him.

"Yeah… Uh… I-I've been going okay…" I muttered. "It's been a little stressful, but preparing for the Grand Prix must be the same, right?"

"Yeah, it is a bit. We have to make sure that our Decks and our Runners are up to scratch. We've been pretty preoccupied with other stuff lately, so it's getting to the point where we really need to get a move on." Yusei said, now turning to me.

"I get that…" I smiled, retrieving my small bottle of pills from my front pocket, before pouring two into my hand, lifting it up and into my mouth, quietly swallowing. "I mean, there's tons of other stuff going on, and so it must be hard to keep on top of everything."

"It is, but we've got each other, so it's not so bad." Yusei smiled. I nodded, picking up two more cards from the ground.

"So, Jack…" I began. "How's living with Carly?"

"Not too bad. She's always out trying to get stories and stuff, so that leaves me with plenty of time to myself, or to come around here and work on my Runner."

"Wait, but how do you get here if your Runner's already here?" I asked. "Do you walk?"

Jack chuckled. "No. I get Carly to take me. What are you talking about? 'Do _I_ _walk_?'"

"But you said that she was always out."

"Yeah, I get her to come back to our apartment and take me here."

"Don't worry about it, Tyler." Crow interjected. "The main thing is, Jack is _lazy_."

" _Excuse_ me?!" Jack shouted, getting up and walking over to Crow. "What did you say?!"

"Guys, come on. Let's not make any more noise." Yusei said.

The doors swung wide open again and I turned, expecting to see Zora, but instead seeing Leo, Luna, and a bunch of other kids, all wearing the Duel Academy Uniform, at the top of the stairs.

"Yusei!" Leo shouted.

"We brought some friends over!" Luna added as they all ran down the stairs to meet him.

"Perfect…" Jack murmured sarcastically.

"You mean noise like _that_?" Crow asked.

"Hey guys!" Yusei greeted, the kids running over to him.

"Whoa, hey! What's with the mess? Didn't you guys just clean up yesterday?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, what happened?" Luna inquired.

"There's a problem with the sub-generator's EPS output which is causing the motor to overheat." Crow explained.

"Oh! _That_ all?" Leo asked, laughing as Luna groaned before her eyes met mine.

"Tyler! You're back!" Luna chirped as I found myself almost tackled to the ground by her only just after getting to my feet. "It's been so long! I didn't know you would be in New Domino…! How have you been doing?" she asked, squeezing me a little tighter.

I smiled, putting my hands just above her waist to return the hug as she looked up at me. "I have been doing _awesome_!" I said, with utmost enthusiasm. While it wasn't strictly true what I said, what with what happened with Taze and everything, she didn't need to know that. No one did.

"That's great! And hey, guess what? Leo and I had our birthday a couple months ago! We're twelve now!"

"I can tell!" I replied, once again with as much enthusiasm as possible. "You and Leo have really shot up! You're almost as tall as _Crow_ now!"

Crow muttered something under his breath as Luna giggled a little. Luna straightened up, her laughter ceasing. "Oh! That's right, I almost forgot! Tyler, these are my friends! Guys, this is Tyler!" she said, letting go of me.

" _Sweet_!" one of the kids cried. He was solidly built and had short-cut dark-blond hair. "A Duel Runner!" he shouted, running over to Jack's, much to his chagrin.

"I've never been so _close_ to one!" a girl swooned. Her blonde hair was tied up similarly to Luna's but was longer and flowed down past the sides of her head, contrasting with her darker skin.

"Can I… can I touch it?" the other boy asked. He had a sort of mullet thing going on and wore a thick pair of glasses.

I chuckled as Luna groaned, clearly irritated that her school friends seemed to be ignoring me. I didn't mind though. I'd probably be excited too if I was their age and hadn't really seen a Duel Runner up close.

"No _way_!" Jack protested. "This isn't a _toy_!"

"Please take me out for a spin!" the solidly-built boy begged.

"And then me!" the girl pleaded.

"Absolutely _not_! It isn't safe, you're just children!" Jack shouted. "Besides, why would I take you out for a ride if I wouldn't let you touch it?"

"It's not even working at the moment anyway…" I added, Luna's friends seemingly just now acknowledging me.

"Okay, how about this?" Crow began. "If you guys help Tyler pick up all the cards, we'll let you ride on our Duel Runners with us!"

" _Really_?" the kids asked.

"Well I didn't agree to that, but alright…" I mumbled.

"Yeah, of course! Now hop to it while I find some spare helmets." Crow said as he walked over and began looking through the drawers and cabinets.

The kids eagerly got down on their knees and scurried around, picking up the cards as quickly as possible.

I bent down to retrieve Jack's Archfiend Interceptor and as I went to get the card, Luna's left hand landed on top of mine. Luna looked towards me and blushed. "Sorry…" she muttered.

"It's alright, you got it." I smiled, taking my hand away as Luna took the card.

"Um…" Luna mumbled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Luna's eyes widened as she looked back to me. "N-nothing, it's just… I called you a couple times but it said your number was disconnected or something and I didn't know where you lived or if you were staying somewhere and I got a little worried."

"Oh, you must've called while I was getting my new phone. Sorry. I didn't even know you called."

"That's okay. I'm just glad you're alright." Luna smiled. "So where are you living now?"

"Oh! Well I've got a sweet little apartment in the Daimon Area. It's got free Wi-Fi, so that's nice…"

"Maybe I could… visit you sometime…?"

"I'd like that." I said, a smile slowly forming on my face.

"So I sort of blew it today in class, Yusei." Leo began.

"He blows it _every_ day in class!" a voice sounded. I turned to see another boy standing at the top of the stairs in the Duel Academy Uniform. His long, black hair was held up above his face by what I assumed was copious amounts of hair gel.

"Sly!" Luna shouted, as everyone turned to him.

"Oh, _you're_ here? I thought you'd be off doing something anti-social like you usually do." Leo grumbled.

"Yeah, I could see it was a mistake coming here anyway…" Sly groaned, turning back to the door as he began to walk out.

"Wait!" Luna yelled. "Don't listen to my brother! I'm glad you came by!" Luna smiled, running up to him and taking his hand. Sly tried to pull away slightly, blushing madly. "Everyone, this is Sly." Luna introduced him. "He's in our class and he's a great Duelist!" Luna was now tugging Sly down by his wrist. "Aren't ya, Sly?"

"It's nice to meet you, Sly. My name is Yusei Fudo." he said, extending his hand out to Sly's.

"I know who you are." Sly said bluntly, knocking Yusei's hand away. "And honestly, I'm _not_ impressed."

"Why you-" Leo began.

"C'mon guys! Do ya wanna go for a ride or _what_!?" Crow shouted. Immediately, all of the kids got back to the task at hand, scurrying around to pick up the cards, arguing about who had the most and who saw which card first.

"Has anyone seen Stardust Dragon yet?" Yusei called out. "I think I might've mixed him in with the cards we put into Jack's Duel Runner."

"I don't have it, sorry Yusei." I said.

"Is that this one?" Sly asked, holding up Stardust Dragon.

"Yeah it is. Thanks." Yusei said, taking it out of Sly's hand as he twitched slightly.

" _Okay_! That's all the cards!" Leo shouted.

"Alright, I've got the helmets. Tyler, who do you wanna take?" Crow asked.

"Whoever. I'm not fussed." I shrugged.

"Okay then, I'll take…" Crow stopped. "I'm sorry, what are your names?"

"My name's Dexter Hayano!" the kid with glasses said.

"I'm Robert Uono, but call me Bob." the solid kid said.

"And my name is Patty Mayonezu." the girl said softly.

"Just your first names were all I needed." Crow chuckled. "Okay, since my Runner's got a slightly bigger seat, I'll take Bob and Dexter. Tyler, you okay with taking Patty?"

"Your call." I said, once again being apathetic. I grabbed a spare helmet and walked over to Patty. "Here you go." I said, handing her the helmet.

"Wait, what about Sly?" Luna asked.

"Doesn't matter!" Sly grumbled. "I've got some stuff to do!" he said, getting up and making his way back up the steps before leaving.

"Nice boy…" Jack snickered.

Patty put on the helmet and followed me out to my Duel Runner.

"Wow! It's looks really cool!" Patty swooned.

"Thanks…" I slotted my helmet over my head, stretching out a little before getting on my Runner, moving forward against the seat. "You alright getting on?" I asked.

"Um… Yeah, I think so…" she said. Patty moved to my side before bringing her leg up and around, moving forward against me as she sat down, her hands moving to my hips.

"Alright, you good?"

"Yep!" Patty smiled.

"Okay, since this is your first time, I won't be going too fast or anything, but if you ever feel uncomfortable, just tell me."

"Okay."

* * *

The ride with Patty was actually pretty good, not that I was expecting it to be bad or anything. There were a couple of times where she actually wanted me to go a little faster, which was surprising. Other than that, she was extremely polite and very well-behaved.

I could only imagine what it would've been like for Crow to ride with Bob and Dexter.

Anyway, Patty and I arrived back at Poppo Time in the late afternoon, around the same time that Crow came back with Dexter and Bob. All of the kids had to leave then, and I was just about to make my move home as well.

"Well, I'm probably gonna go too." I said, making my way to the door.

"Actually, could I have you stay back for a bit to monitor the computer for me? I need to go and check on something inside, but I want to be sure that nothing out of the ordinary happens with the Runner while I'm gone." Yusei said.

"Fair enough…" I muttered, making my way back down and taking Yusei's spot at the computer. Jack was sleeping on a chair, which was expected, since he'd probably been working on the Runner for quite some time. Crow had to go out and do a delivery, so I was the only one left in the garage.

I heard the door open once more. "Excuse me, is anyone in here?" a voice called out.

I peered up from the computer screen. "Yeah, hi." I said, looking over at the man. He had formal clothing on and a thick mustache which exceeded past his mouth.

"I was told that this would be where I could find Yusei Fudo. Is he here at the moment?" the man asked.

"He's, uh… he's doing something at the moment." I said. "But I'd be happy to pass along a message to him, if you'd like."

"Yes… well… err… uh…" the man stammered, "We've got a piece of equipment at Duel Academy, a Heitmann, which is starting to break down and become a bit… _unreliable_. I was wondering if Yusei would be able to fix it…"

"Yeah!" I smiled. "I'm sure he'd be willing to help you. I'll pass on the message. What time would you want him to come by?" I asked.

"At about nine o'clock, please." the man said.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." I smiled.

The man nodded. "Thank you very much!" the man bowed before leaving, Yusei returning a few moments later.

"Hey, I thought I heard you talking to someone. What's going on?" Yusei asked.

"Uh, someone from Duel Academy was after you. He wants you to come in tomorrow around nine to fix some broken machinery." I explained.

"Okay, it's done. I'll head down at nine." Yusei nodded. "And thanks for watching over the stuff for me. It means a lot."

"Not a problem." I looked down from the computer to my feet. "Listen, Yusei. There's another reason why I came to see you guys." I said, turning to face Yusei. "I want to apologize. See, the truth is… I've been avoiding you… I mean, you could probably tell considering the amount of times that we've spoken since defeating the Dark Signers. It's just that… I've had a lot on my mind since then, and the last thing I wanted was to bum you guys out with my problems. I wanted to be… good when I saw you guys again…"

Yusei sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting down next to me. "Tyler, you don't need to apologize, and you don't need to be embarrassed either. I mean, I knew where you were living for the past six months, and I can count on one hand the amount of times I visited you. Look, with this whole Ghost thing, I can't say that everything is back to normal, but we're all still friends. Even though we haven't spoken to each other that much, we're still friends."

"Well, I…" I stopped, turning away from Yusei as he smiled at me. "I was wondering if I could go with you to Duel Academy tomorrow, like, to watch you work, or help. I'd be happy to help if you need an extra pair of hands or something."

Yusei kept smiling. "Sure, I'd like that. I'll come by your apartment in the morning and then we can go there together."

"Awesome, thanks Yusei." I smiled, pulling out my phone and seeing it was now late, at least by my standards of being out. "I'd better get going. See you tomorrow, Yusei!" I waved.

"Bye, Tyler." I heard Yusei call out as I left the garage and got onto my Duel Runner. I connected my phone to the dock and brought up Taze's contact, before calling his number as I sped off. I couldn't leave things how they were with Taze. It felt wrong. The phone rang a couple of times before immediately going to his voicemail.

I sighed.

* * *

"So have you ever been to Duel Academy?" I asked.

"I've gone past it, but I've never actually gone onto the campus before, so we'll need to drop by the Administration Office first." Yusei explained. I nodded.

The two of us rode together through the streets of New Domino City. There was lots of traffic on the road, which I expected considering how early we were. Everyone else was obviously on their way to work or whatever, so it was a little bit slow. We had plenty of time to get there though, so I wasn't worried.

I called Taze again just before Yusei had come and got me, but I wasn't able to reach him, which was a real shame.

Unlike Yusei, I'd never even seen the Duel Academy before, so I was… intrigued as to what it was like building-wise. Despite it being just after eight o'clock, the sky was a nice clear blue, with only a few clouds in the sky, which slowly moved apart as sunlight broke through.

Just as it occurred to me that I had forgotten to take my medication, we pulled up onto the campus.

Most of the buildings on campus seemed to be those of standard New Domino fanfare, but the central building was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was like two Duel Disks cut in half and, like, a hilt protruding from the ground.

I _really_ needed my meds.

"Alright, we'll head to Administration and see if we can find out where this Heitmann thing that's playing up is."

"Right behind you, Yusei."

* * *

One of the ladies at Admin had this really bitchy aura about her. She actually laughed in our faces when Yusei said that we were there to fix the Heitmann, which I didn't like. Though she did a least tell us where the classroom was that we could find the Heitmann in, and gave us passes so we could get into the main building. I was able to get a map of the school on my phone too, which we probably would've gotten lost without otherwise.

"So it says room G13." I told Yusei. We kept walking down the otherwise empty hall, Yusei carrying a toolbox in his left hand. We actually stopped just outside the room because we could hear a man yelling in there. "Uh… Should we go in? Or wait 'till he's done?" I asked.

At the sound of a young woman's reply, Yusei's eyes widened, and he began walking in, so of course, I followed. "What's wrong, Akiza?" he asked. I could feel my throat dry up as the attention of everyone in the room moved to Yusei. This being the first time in a long while that I had seen Akiza, I felt taken aback all over again just looking at her.

"You're… Yusei Fudo! The Duelist who won the Fortune Cup!" the man at the front of the class shouted. This guy wore a red suit with a green tie, had weird hair with a matching goatee, and a needle-thin moustache. Some of the kids in the class started cheering as the man continued. "What could _you_ possibly need from our fine academic establishment?"

"We came here on a job." Yusei explained, moving to the side as I came into view.

"And who might _you_ be?"

"Trades Assistant." I said, pointing to Yusei.

"We were asked to come here and fix a piece of machinery that's been playing up."

The man shook his head. "No, there's no machinery in this room that needs to be fixed, but if you're looking for things that have been playing up, you can look at the children in this class. Although, fixing these children's grades would prove to be impossible, I assure you."

"Mister Vice Principal, your words are going too far!" a woman shouted. I just then noticed a woman to the side of the room, probably in her mid-twenties, wearing an orange blazer. I then assumed the woman beside us was the teacher and this guy was, as she said, the vice principal.

Akiza turned back to the man. "What kind of person are you, to deny these kids an education, to discard their passion to study solely because they mightn't have good grades?"

"It's a shame you fail to understand, Akiza…" He muttered. "No matter how hard these children try to study Dueling, they fail! So it's entirely pointless! _They're_ entirely pointless!" The man snapped his wrist forward as a holographic screen appeared in front of us, sifting through the profiles of some students and the cards in their Decks. "As you can see, the only cards that these students possess are useless, low-level ones."

"There's no such thing as useless cards." Yusei stated. "Everything in this world has meaning, has purpose."

"How about the both of you quieten down and stop sticking your noses in where they don't belong."

I brought my hands up in defense. "Dude, come on, chill. I haven't done anything. I'm just here to help fix a Heitmann."

"The only 'Heitmann' this school has is _me_! _Rudolph_ _Heitmann_! What do you think you're playing at?"

"I don't know…!" I brought my hands down to my pockets as I tried searching for my meds, only to once again remember I didn't have them on me.

"He's trying to expel us!" Leo shouted.

"Please do something!" Patty urged.

Yusei smiled, turning back to me. "Now this makes sense."

"What does?" I asked.

"This is what we were asked to fix. I wasn't called here to help out with machinery. I was called here to Duel Heitmann." Yusei said.

Now it was my turn to smile. "Dueling this guy would be a waste of your time, Yusei. Let me." I insisted.

"Excuse me?" Heitmann asked.

"How 'bout it? I never even went here… I think… So I must be at a much lower level than the kids here. If I win, these kids stay."

"You think you can just come in and start making demands?"

"You don't want to Duel me? A vice principal at Duel Academy is afraid of Dueling…"

"Enough!" Heitmann slammed his hand down on the desk, his eyes focusing on mine and mine alone. "If you're in such a hurry to make a fool of yourself, meet me in the gymnasium in ten minutes. We'll Duel there."

* * *

Heitmann and I stood opposite each other in the gymnasium, in amongst a white chalk outline of a Duel Field. Yusei, Leo, Luna and the rest of the class sat above in the stands, watching below.

"With my Vanguard Deck, I'll make short work of you. I promise." Heitmann laughed.

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Heitmann: 4000 LP]

"Save our class, Tyler!" Bob shouted.

"We're rooting for you!" Patty added as I drew my card.

I looked over the cards I had in my hand silently. "I… Set a monster in Defense Position…" I said, placing one of my cards, Mucus Yolk, face-down on my Duel Disk as it was the only monster that I had in my hand. "And I think… I'll also place two other cards face-down too. Your turn."

"This might be even easier than I thought!" Heitmann taunted. "Let's see how useful your monster is in Attack Position! I activate Stop Defense, switching your monster from Defense to Attack!" Heitmann laughed as a ray shot out of his card and illuminated my monster, a pulsing dark red blob [ATK: 0].

"Oh no!" Luna shouted.

"Next, I summon Ancient Gear Statue to the field!" Heitmann added as a mess of cogs and gears took form on his field. [ATK: 500]. "In addition, I shall activate the Spell Card Machine Duplication, allowing me to summon two more Ancient Gear Statues from my Deck!"

"I don't think Heitmann's stopping there!" Leo wavered.

"Of course not! I activate the special ability of my Statues. By sacrificing them, I can Special Summon three Ancient Gear Golems from my hand!"

Everyone gasped as the three Statues disappeared and were replaced by three titanic monstrosities that literally towered over the field [Ancient Gear Golem: ATK: 3000].

"Yeah, my card won't do very well in Attack Position, will it…?" I said softly. "But before you do anything, I wanna play this! Skill Drain! So I can negate the abilities of your monsters!"

[Tyler: 3000 LP]

As my card rose up, yellow light came down onto the field, covering Heitmann's three monsters.

"Are you serious?!" Heitmann twitched. " _That's_ what you had? Then consider those kids expelled!" Heitmann flung his hand forward. "Golem number one, attack Mucus Yolk!"

"Wait…" I smiled. "I activate Mirror Force, which kills all the Golems since they're in Attack Position." I pressed a button on my Duel Disk as Mirror Force rose up, a barrier appearing around me as Heitmann's first Ancient Gear Golem hit the barrier, bounced back and collided with the other two, causing them all to be destroyed.

"In that case," Heitmann growled, "I end my turn."

I smiled as I drew my card. " _Okay_! I activate… Oh, wait! I've got _two_ things I can do… Uh… I play Monster Reborn to revive the first Ancient Gear Golem that I killed last turn." I grinned.

"Are you serious?" Heitmann asked. "Ancient Gear Golem _can't_ be Special Summoned."

" _Oh_?" I said, surprised. "Okay, then… I'll activate _this_ instead! It's a card called Cosmic Astral Code, and it allows me to Summon a monster from my Extra Deck without needing to fulfill any Summoning conditions. Oh, but the monster only stays on the field until the End Phase. Then it goes to the Graveyard. Now, I don't have a phrase or a chant or anything ready, so I'm just gonna go ahead and play Hyper Psychic Blaster in Attack Position." I slotted the card onto my Duel Disk. A light broke in from behind me as the mechanized gun-wielding Psychic monster, my first Synchro, appeared in front of me, guns poised [ATK: 3000]. "Now, I play the Equip Spell Card called Megamorph. Since my Life Points are lower than yours, Hyper Psychic Blaster's attack strength is doubled." Hyper Psychic Blaster grew in size, almost touching the ceiling [ATK: 6000].

"The total attack power of Tyler's monster is six thousand. If he attacks now, he'll win…" Akiza murmured.

"And _we_ don't get expelled!" Leo shouted. "C'mon, Tyler! You can do it!"

I smiled. "Okay, now I'm gonna att-" I paused as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked down at my pocket as I took my phone out with my free hand.

"What are you doing?!" Heitmann shouted.

"Hey, can you chill out for a second?" Even though we were in the middle of a Duel, I decided there wasn't any harm in taking a moment to check my phone.

I smiled. A message from Taze. Probably an apology. I opened the message and began reading it to myself.

_I've been thinking about this for some time. You're just not the same person and what we're doing isn't working out. The band is over, I quit._

I thought that was it, but there was more to the message. I scrolled down.

_I'm sorry. I just can't be around you. Not when you're how you are. I've been lying to myself, pretending that you were the same person before your accident because I hoped that it would be true. But you've changed, and honestly I hate the person you've become._

My heart was in my throat, but there was still more to the message. I scrolled down again, my movements shaky.

_All this talk about Duel Spirits that apparently you can see and talk to, if you truly believe that, then I think you need to be committed to an institution, or at least stop taking those fucking pills._

_We can't hang out anymore. I hope you understand why. We're just two different people, and that's not my fault. It's yours. I shouldn't have to explain why, and I won't, because you know why. You just won't face up to it._

_Anyway, that's all I'm going to say. Best of luck being a fucking weirdo._

Even though they were just words on a screen, I could hear him say those words to me as if he were standing right next to me, telling me straight to my face, venom in every word, every sentence. Perhaps that's why that made it so powerfully poignant with me, and why I did what I did next.

"Attack directly…" I muttered, Hyper Psychic Blaster complying as Heitmann was struck down.

[Heitmann: 0 LP]

I didn't bother sticking around. As soon as Heitmann's Life Points fell to zero, I had already headed out the gymnasium doors, making a beeline for the school parking lot. Someone had called out to me, but I couldn't tell who. I didn't even care really.

I discarded my pass as I got on my Runner, pulling away from the Duel Academy campus in silence.

* * *

The weather seemed to change quickly, and also rather befittingly. By the time I had returned to my apartment, the sky had turned from a light blue into a dull and depressing gray. I sighed, placing my Deck box onto the table as I kicked off my shoes.

I could feel my forehead throbbing and my chest aching. An uneasy sensation in my throat. A pain as I worked through each breath. To put it bluntly, I felt like shit.

I was done with the day. I just wanted to sleep so that tomorrow would come quicker, and I could pretend that what had happened today really didn't. I could forget about Taze, and move on. I knew it was pointless and stupid to think like that, but I just didn't want to be awake and have to deal with myself and how I was feeling. I had managed to save everyone from the burden of dealing with me, now all that was left was saving myself.

I ripped a sheet from my bed as I brought myself down onto it with a thud. Whipping and wrapping the sheet back around me, I curled myself into a semi-comfortable sleeping position, slowly bringing my legs down as my body warmed the bed.

I couldn't help but wonder if it was all my fault. I should've seen the signs, plain and simple, so obviously I was to blame, leading Taze on and all that. I was doing it for him in the end, not for me. Maybe I should've been straight with him from the start, and then I wouldn't feel like I wasted the last six months of my life on an aimless 'friendship'.

And then there was still everyone else. Yusei, Crow, Jack… Akiza, Leo, Luna… Were they the same? Did they not want anything to do with me either? Was Taze the _only_ one who was man enough to tell me the truth?

I sighed, turning over several times in the span of a couple minutes. There was no way that I'd be able to get to sleep with all these thoughts running through my head.

I suddenly had the realization that I probably ruined everything at Duel Academy as well. The kids needed me, and I abandoned them by running away. I hoped that Yusei had been able to convince Heitmann to withdraw the expulsions, but there was a part of me that either knew or thought, wrongly or rightly, that he wouldn't be successful.

I should have just let Yusei Duel.

I turned over again, exhaling sharply as I pressed my face hard against my pillow. The side was already warm. I sighed, jerking upwards as I flipped the pillow and rested my head against that side. It was cool, but not for long.

The sound of a light knock at my door caused me to sigh, as I honestly couldn't be bothered getting up and answering it. Whoever it was at my door waited for a few seconds, as if pondering something, before knocking again, a little louder this time. "Tyler, it's me, Luna. Are you there?" her voice called from behind the door, her tone seeming uncertain.

Part of me just wanted to stay quiet and hope she'd think I wasn't home, since I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anybody. The other part of me opened my mouth.

"Yeah… I'm here…" I quietly replied.

"I… I was just wondering if you were alright… Would you mind if we could talk for a bit?" she asked.

I cleared my throat. "I'm fine, Luna…" I muttered, though I'm sure by the tone of my voice, she could tell that I was anything but.

There was a long pause as silence once again filled the air. I thought that Luna may have given up and decided to leave me to my own devices, but she didn't. Just when I thought I was alone, she piped up again. "Tyler, I… I'm your friend, and I want to help you, but I can't help if you don't let me in…!"

"Fine…" I grumbled, "The door's unlocked, you can come in… If you want…"

I heard the handle rattle just a little as Luna slowly opened the door to my apartment. She took slow, small steps as she made her way inside, closing the door behind her.

I swallowed, closing my eyes as I exhaled. Once I opened them, I shuffled around on the bed, now lying on my side beneath the covers.

"Oh, I…! I didn't wake you up, did I?" Luna asked as she saw me shuffle about.

"No…" I replied with minimal enthusiasm.

"Tyler, if something is wrong, you can talk to me." Luna insisted. "Don't you remember that?"

"Nothing's wrong… I'm… I'm fine…" I repeated.

"You're lying." Luna said. It was weird. It almost sounded cold, her tone of voice. She gasped and cleared her throat. "I-I mean… I can tell something is wrong…" she muttered, her tone now much softer.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, rolling over to look at her face to face. "Something came up…"

"Is there something that I can do to help? Because if I can help you, I will!"

"It's nothing, I… I just had to leave… If I didn't, then I…"

I stopped. I wasn't just about to say what I thought I was… _was I?_ I thought I'd moved past all that…

No. I _had_ moved past that… so why was I even about to-

"Then you'd what?" Luna asked softly.

I knew what she was doing, trying to tear down the wall, get me to open up. But I couldn't, and I wouldn't. "Look, I'm sorry I left like that…" I muttered. "Do you know what happened? With your class, I mean…"

Luna nodded. "Yep. Heitmann withdrew the expulsions. Thanks to you, our class was saved."

"That's good. At least _that_ ended up okay then…"

"So something _is_ wrong… Look, I get that we haven't really seen each other in a while, but I'm still your friend… And I want to help you get through whatever is wrong."

"Friend…" I muttered, rolling my eyes, but thankfully she couldn't see. After everything that had just happened, she was trying to pull the friendship crap! Was this some subtle way of trying to make me feel guilty for not really talking to her, or Yusei or anyone else for the past few months?!

"It doesn't matter _what_ I do?! Does it?!" I shouted, turning to her. "Someone, somewhere has got a problem with it, with _me_! No matter _what_ I do, it's my fault!"

"Tyler-"

"Once you realize that I'm not what you want, you'll _leave_!" I snapped.

"It's not that I have a problem with it…! I'd never leave you either! It's just that I see you suffering and it hurts me…! You've protected me so much, but no matter what I do, I just can't protect you in return! The only thing that I _can_ do is try and help you through it…!"

It was that same pleading voice that brought me back to that cold morning six months ago. As I stood on the ledge ready to throw it all away, I regretted making the phone call. Even then, lying in bed feeling totally defeated, I wondered why I called, but there was no point in me thinking about what I did, only what happened after.

Luna was the one who calmed me down, who made me see sense, and now I was _stupidly_ driving her away again!

Luna wasn't trying to tear my wall down, she was trying to find another way in… And I had to let her…

"Alright, fine." I sighed. Strangely enough, it took almost all of my willpower to tell Luna what was going on with me. I guess I was afraid that she wouldn't take what I said seriously, or that she wouldn't even care at all. "Taze and I… It's over… He sent me a message during the Duel. He says that I'm not the same person and he doesn't want me around anymore…"

The moment I told her this, a shocked expression appeared on her face. I regretted telling her immediately. Granted, she'd never met Taze before. In fact it was probably one of the first times that I had ever spoken to Luna about him. But from anyone else listening in, was it really appropriate for me to be crying about not being friends with someone anymore? Probably not. So Luna probably thought that I was _majorly_ overreacting.

"I… Tyler, I…" she stammered. She then opened and closed her mouth several times, though no sound came out.

I turned away from Luna to face the wall. "That's why I ran, Luna, okay? Because I was afraid. Afraid I'd make a complete… fool of myself…" I tittered. "And look at what happened…"

I stayed in silence for a minute or so after that, my heart pounding relentlessly. I hated it. I hated myself. I closed my eyes, tensing every part of my body in anger until I felt a pair of arms come in between mine. I opened my eyes to find that Luna had wrapped her arms around me, pressing her head into my chest as her body rested against mine.

Luna looked up at me and smiled. "It'll be okay. You don't need him. I still want you around… Leo still wants you around. Every one of our friends wants you around. If… If Taze can't accept who you are, then… then that's _his_ problem…! I think you're great just the way you are, no matter what he says…!"

I felt myself beginning to smile as I looked down at Luna, before hugging her back with no hesitation.

"Thanks, Luna…"


	4. Heart-Shaped Box

"Next, please." the counter lady called.

My eyes widened, shifting from my phone to the young woman in front of me. I approached cautiously, my heart racing unnecessarily. "Yeah, can I get some chocolate, please?"

"Sweetheart, this is the Gambit Retro Chocolate Factory, of _course_ you can get chocolate here…" she said in an overly patronizing tone. Some of the people in line behind me started laughing and snickering, but I paid them no mind.

"Right, sorry…" I smiled before sighing. "I'm looking to get something for a friend, and I've never really done this before, so what would you recommend?"

"That depends…" she said.

"On what?"

"How much you're willing to pay, and who it's for."

"I'm willing to pay as much as I need to for her, so can-"

"So it's a girl…" the woman interrupted, smiling.

"Yes, it's for a girl… To say thank you…"

"Alright…" she turned and took a box off of the shelf behind her, before turning back to me. "What about something like this?"

I inspected the item the woman was holding. It was a very nice looking dark red heart-shaped box, images of gold-lined roses indented into the front of the box. "In the box, there's a mix of milks, darks, and whites. Some have fillings, some have nuts, some are plain."

I looked down, fetching my wallet from my pocket before looking back to face the woman as I smiled. "I'll take it."

* * *

I shifted the bag around in my hand, curling and uncurling my fingers against it. A few moments later, the elevator doors in front of me finally opened.

I walked in slowly, the sound of 'Daybreak' by Michael Haggins coming through the small speakers at the top. I turned, pressing on the buttons to get me to the top floor as the doors closed.

I could feel everything changing beneath my feet, so I shifted my weight between my two legs as I looked up at the ceiling.

After everything that Luna had done for me, I had to get her something at the very least as a thank you gift and to show my appreciation. If it hadn't have been for her, I'd probably be wallowing in self-pity. Or worse, and more likely, dead.

I was really lucky to have someone like her looking out for me. I mean, Yusei and everyone else were supportive as well, and I definitely appreciated that, but Luna was just…

_"I think you're great just the way you are…!"_

She was the best.

The elevator doors opened, and I began walking over to entrance to Leo and Luna's apartment. Once I reached the door, I took out my phone, realizing that the two would still be at school. From buying the chocolate, to writing the thank you card, to wrapping it all up… I thought it would take more time than it did.

I didn't want to just leave it out the front of their place. It wouldn't have been right. It was just something that I had to give to her in person.

I sighed, sitting down on the floor of the complex as the bag rested loosely in my hands. I put my earphones in and sat back against the wall as I simply waited for time to pass.

* * *

I might have dozed off for a little bit listening to Queensÿrche's… Sorry, _Operation: Mindcrime's_ 'Jet City Woman' on repeat, because before I realized it, I could hear muffled chatter break through my earphones.

My eyes widened as I breathed in suddenly, clutching the bag in my hands tightly as I looked over to see Leo and Luna lugging their school bags behind them, heavily engrossed in conversation.

I then noticed that their friends from school were with them, and my heartbeat increased. It was probably selfish of me, but I was really hoping that it would just be the twins, just on the off-chance I managed to make an idiot of myself again in front of those other kids. After all, they barely knew me, and probably assumed from my little performance yesterday that I was, to put it as nice as I could, _not_ a people person. I didn't really want to have them judging me if I could avoid it.

Of course, there was really nothing I _could_ do to avoid it now. So I realized the best thing that I could do was at least make a good second impression. I got to my feet as I straightened myself up, my fingers moving along the bag as I took my earphones out with my free hand.

"I made him laugh so hard, that the Chocolate Milk came out his nose! And it was _pink_!" Bob boasted.

"Ew! Gross!" Patty exclaimed. I stood silently as Leo laughed, before I noticed Patty's eyes look to the direction of the apartment. "Hey, isn't there someone at your door?" She asked.

The twins looked towards their apartment, towards me. "Oh, yeah! That's Tyler!" Leo exclaimed upon noticing me.

"You mean the guy from yesterday?" Bob asked. My heart sank.

"The guy who totally beat down Heitmann and then just left?" Dexter added. My heart skipped a beat and I turned away.

"Yeah, that's the guy!" Leo shouted.

I turned back. The way that Leo spoke, his tone of voice, it was as if the fact that I practically abandoned them didn't bother him in the slightest. I would have even gone so far as to say that Leo seemed impressed with how I Dueled Heitmann. Even so, just because Leo didn't care… That didn't mean that I was off the hook, after all, those kids probably still cared. Hell, Luna must've been torn up about it just a little bit as well.

But that was why I was there after all. To make amends.

"Guys, enough of that..! Tyler obviously came here for a reason, not to listen to you guys gossip about him…" Luna sighed.

"Yeah! He probably came to help out with homework!" Leo grinned.

Luna's eyes met mine, her cheeks reddening slightly as I swallowed. I wanted to say something, but once again, I couldn't, simply out of fear of screwing up this simple little meet up.

I knew what I wanted to say! I knew _exactly_ what I wanted to say! I'd practically _rehearsed_ it for fear of screwing up!

"Hey, um… guys? Do you mind if we talk to Tyler alone? We haven't really properly spoken to him in a while and there's so much we need to talk about…" Luna stated.

Suddenly, all of the tension just left. I guess I realized how silly it was to be caught like that, to be overthinking something as critically as I was. My thoughts, my words, it all just began to flow much better. "You guys don't need to leave…" I interjected, walking over to the group.

"O-oh, if you're sure about it…" Luna mumbled.

I smiled warmly, my hand moving into the bag, retrieving the box of chocolates I had bought, along with an envelope. "This is for you…" I said, extending my hand out to Luna.

"F-For me? Um, I…" Luna trailed off, her face heating up. "What's this for…?" she asked softly, seemingly hesitant to take what I was offering her.

"Well you really helped me out yesterday, and… I know that I barely show you how much I appreciate you, so I wanted to get you something just to say 'thank you'." I paused just as I remembered that Leo, Patty, Dexter and Bob were standing behind Luna, and that I probably embarrassed her with what I said, so I refrained from saying anything else too sappy. "I… wasn't sure what to get you, so I just got you a mix. There's a card there too… In the envelope… which basically says what I just did… You know, about me being thankful and stuff…"

Luna stood motionless for a few seconds before taking the box, color still flooding her face. "O-oh, Tyler, you didn't have to do this!" Luna wavered. "We're friends and… I like talking to you, so it wasn't any trouble or anything!" She insisted. "Wait, what I mean is-"

"It's okay, Luna. I know what you mean, but… I just, I do appreciate it…" I smiled.

Patty nudged Luna on the arm, who simply fidgeted in response. I looked down at my pants pockets as I heard Patty whisper something to Luna, whose eyes widened in response as she turned back to her. Luna turned towards me a couple of seconds later.

"Well… Thanks again, Tyler…" Luna smiled, the color slowly leaving her face. "Here, why don't you guys come inside so we can put our stuff away?" Luna suggested. The others nodded as they rushed inside. Leo grunted as he made his way into his apartment. Luna made her way inside too, but I stood outside, checking my phone for the time.

My psychiatrist's office would still be open for another hour or so.

Luna came out a couple of seconds later to meet me, now bag-less. "Um… Are you gonna come in…?"

"Oh, I… um… I can't…" I admitted. "I wish I could, but I've actually just remembered… I've got something else I need to go and take care of…"

"Aw, _really_?! I was hoping we could all Duel!" Leo shouted, his head popping out from behind the door.

"Leo, calm down. Tyler has other plans. I'm sure we'll see him later." Luna said, turning to him.

"You can count on that." I smiled as I turned to Leo.

Leo sighed, popping back inside to leave Luna and I alone.

"Um… Thanks…" Luna mumbled.

I smiled.

"No problem."

* * *

It took me more time to get to my psychiatrist's office than I had planned. Some people were coming home early from work and so it was really hectic on the road. I hadn't booked an appointment, and he didn't know I'd be coming. Now that I think about it, I probably could have entered his office more gracefully, because when I got there, I basically stumbled past everyone and charged on in.

"Tyler, what are you doing her-"

"I lied."

"What?"

"Everything I said to you, about me being happy how things were. That was a lie. I'm not happy, okay? I'm not. I lied because I thought if I said it enough, then I'd start thinking I was happy… But I can't lie to you anymore. I can't lie to myself anymore."

"What happened?"

"Two days ago, Taze and I had a fallout, and I met up with Yusei and the others, and everyone else that I had been avoiding. I wasn't prepared for any of that, but I figured that it was for the best and that it was time that I stopped avoiding them and face them like you suggested. So the next day, Yusei and I go to Duel Academy to fix something, but it turns out that I'm supposed to Duel this guy who's gonna expel these kids, and then Taze… He texts me and he goes 'We can't hang out anymore! We're not friends! Best of luck being a weirdo!' and… it was the pills… he said it was the pills…" I felt tears form in my eyes and quickly run down my face. "And now I'm crying! _Fuck_!" I shouted, turning away from my psychiatrist. "Please, I've already lost Taze. I don't want to lose anyone else… You have to help me… Please… I want to get off my meds…"

I must've looked pretty pathetic to him, all but bawling my eyes out. He didn't say anything though. He just sat in his chair, a hand covering his mouth as he silently observed me. The way he looked at me, as my diaphragm was going a mile a minute, it was as if he was staring into my soul.

Finally, he spoke.

"Tyler, I… I can't just take you off your medication suddenly. That wouldn't be healthy _or_ safe for you. But… I can see that you're concerned about this. So what I'm going to do is recommend that you halve your dosage, for a week starting tomorrow, just as a temporary thing, and we'll take things from there, okay? I'll check back on you in about a week, and we'll see how you are."

"Thank you!" I breathed.

"But, Tyler… There's nothing to gain by lying to me. I'm here to help you, and if you lie to me, I can't do that. Do you understand?"

"…I do."

"Okay. Also, it would be good if you could call first to organize an appointment. I was actually a few minutes away from heading home, and I'd hate for you to get down here and me not be here."

"Yes, definitely." I nodded. "…And, um…" I took my wallet out again, sifting through it before handing some money over to my psychiatrist. "That's for the other day."

"Thank you." He smiled. "How about I pencil you in for next Thursday at ten o'clock?"

"That would be great."

"Alright, well… I'll see you then…"


	5. No More Mr. Nice Guy

I stood behind the cleaner as he looked into my shower. "Yeah, you're gonna have to wait for the grout to dry." The man said before turning back to me.

"How am I supposed to use the shower?" I asked.

"Well… You can't… It'll wet the tiles. You'll just have to shower someplace else. Look, we'll be back in a week, and we'll have it fixed for you then. I'm sorry, that's all we can do right now."

"Fine…" I sighed dejectedly as I showed the man out of my apartment, shutting the door behind him. I put the quotation on my drawer and sighed once more.

Since parting ways with Taze, I had taken some time to get my place back in order. I changed the lock on the front door and got myself a new set of keys, as I had actually given Taze a spare set a few months prior. I'd also developed a habit of leaving my door unlocked, which I had since realized was not at all ideal. So I had changed the locks, gotten new keys, and was now locking my apartment at every chance I got.

But then there was a problem with my shower.

Apparently there was a leak in the pipes or something. I wasn't really paying attention to what the man had told me, but the long and the short of it was I couldn't use my shower for about a week, which was a shame.

The only place I could go which had a shower and was also close, was Yusei's. Now, I hadn't seen him since I visited Duel Academy with him, and I wasn't sure if he even wanted to see me, but I couldn't go a week without showering. And I couldn't go a week without avoiding anyone. I didn't _want_ to go a week where I _had_ to avoid anyone.

I grabbed my set of keys, along with my phone and a towel, and a spare change of clothes, as I started locking up.

* * *

I had a much better feeling in me when I pulled up outside the garage. I looked in and noticed that Yusei seemed to be packing a few of his things away. Jack's Duel Runner was now covered by a white sheet, and Crow was nowhere to be found.

I cautiously knocked on the top of the door as Yusei turned to me. "Hi, look, I know that I'm probably the last person that you want to see right now, but I can't use my shower for, like, a week. Would I be able to use yours?"

Yusei kept his eyes on mine. "You're not the last person I'd want to see. I was concerned when you left Duel Academy like that the other week, but I had to stay and convince Heitmann to withdraw the expulsions. Luna said she'd go and see you afterward. She told me that you were having problems with another friend of yours… I'm sorry to hear that."

"Nah, it's okay. That's all over now." I said, looking to the bag that Yusei had packed. "So what are you doing with the bag?" I asked.

"I'm actually going back to the Satellite for a little while. I haven't seen Rally or the others in a really long time." Yusei said. "But yeah, just go upstairs and ask Zora about the shower. She'll let you use it."

"Cool, thanks." I nodded, making my way up the steps and out the door. Trash bags were heaped against the wall as the one bin resting against Zora's place was already filled to the top with garbage. I sighed, walking over to the side door and knocking on it. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Sorry to drop by like this, but um, would it be alright if I used your shower for a few days? Something's happening with a pipe, or grout or something at my place, so I can't use mine."

Zora smiled at me, opening the door. "Of course you can use it. Come in, I'll show you where it is."

"Thank you." I bowed, following Zora inside as she led me to her bathroom.

"I see you have everything you need with you. There's shampoo, conditioner and everything else on the inside of the shower. I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks again." I smiled. Zora smiled back and shut the door behind her as she left.

* * *

"So is Crow out doing deliveries or something?" I asked, reappearing behind Zora in a fresh change of clothes. Zora turned to face me, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Yes. He'll be out for the whole day today." she explained. "Yusei's going back to the Satellite too, but he'll be gone for a week, maybe more."

"Ah!" I smiled. "Well if you need help looking after the garage or anything, I'd be happy to help. Like, not that I want to impose or anything, but so that, like, you don't need to keep going backwards and forwards and keep checking on everything, you know what I mean?"

"That would be great, actually. I still have to look after the shop and everything, so that would be a big help."

"Awesome, okay. Well, I'll go back downstairs then."

"Wait, before you do," Zora began. "Can I get you anything to eat?"

I shook my head. "No thank you. I'm fine, but I appreciate you offering."

"Alright, well if you need anything, just come up and see me."

"Cool." I smiled, leaving Zora's place and heading back down the steps into the garage. Yusei was nowhere to be seen, and neither was his Duel Runner. What perplexed me a little, was that both his laptop and deck were left on the table and by the window respectively, his Stardust Dragon facing upward. I went up the steps again and into Zora's place. "Hey, um, Zora… Yusei left his deck in the garage. Should anything be done about that?"

"Oh, no, don't worry. Crow will be using some of those cards when he comes home tonight. He'll be working on Jack's Duel Runner… _again_ …" Zora muttered.

"Okay." I nodded. I could tell by Zora's tone that she was less than thrilled that Crow would be working on Jack's Duel Runner, but I didn't say anything else. I just went back down into the garage, pulled up a seat and sat down at the table.

* * *

I spent the majority of my time watching YouTube videos and browsing Facebook on Yusei's laptop. Occasionally, someone would come by and request Yusei's help, and I'd tell whoever it was that he was out at the moment, but I'd take down their details and put them into a document so that when Yusei came back, he could look through it, if he wanted to.

I also had this strange feeling that I was being watched, all throughout the morning and into the afternoon. At one point, I could've sworn that someone was staring at me from just outside the garage looking in.

I turned down the volume on the laptop and looked to the window, a shadow shifting behind it. I got up from my seat, walking briskly over to the window, but there was no one out there.

I sighed, walking back over to the table and sitting down in my seat.

"Yusei! Yusei!" Leo shouted, bursting through the door beside me in his Duel Academy uniform, his bag slung over his back.

"Leo, what's wrong?" I asked, a little bit unnerved from the sudden burst of sound that came with Leo's entrance.

"Where's Yusei?!"

"He's gone to the Satellite. He should be back in a week or so."

" _No_! No, no, no, no, _no_!" Leo shouted, stamping his feet on the ground.

"What's the matter?"

"I need him to help me with my homework! Akiza's busy with other study, and Luna's already handed her work in, so I can't look at her sheet for the answers. It's due tomorrow and I'm gonna be in big trouble if I don't hand it in! Wait, unless…" Leo trailed off, looking towards me.

"What…?"

"You'll help me, right Tyler?" he almost pleaded. "Please, please, _please_ …!" he begged.

A smile broke onto my face as I chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

"Awesome!" Leo shouted, dumping his backpack onto the floor as he fished out his homework along with his pencil case, grabbing a chair and sitting down next to me. "Okay, so this is a take home quiz, uh… Most of it's multiple choice, but there are some short answer questions as well."

"You haven't attempted _any_ of the questions…" I noted.

Leo scratched the back of his head. "Y-yeah… Usually I just copy off Luna's work when she starts cooking dinner, but she gave it in to Miss Bartlet yesterday."

"Does Luna know you copy off her?"

"N-no… She doesn't… And please don't tell her either…" Leo mumbled.

"I… um…" I stopped. It wasn't that I was going to tell Luna, but I just didn't feel comfortable knowing that Leo was copying off her work without her knowing. I probably shouldn't have asked in the first place…

"Hey…" a voice sounded. I knew whose voice it was straight away, but I didn't react. The fact that they were even near me again sent chills down my spine.

"Who are you?" Leo asked.

I turned. "Taze…" I muttered, quickly getting to my feet. "How did you know I was here?" I asked bluntly, walking to him as he kept to the outside of the garage.

"You, um… You checked in on Facebook…" he muttered.

"Damn it…" I looked back to Yusei's laptop, making a mental note to unfriend Taze and then go over my privacy settings. "Well why are you here?"

"I feel like we left things in a really awkward place."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… _I_ said some things, _you_ said some things, and I think that-"

I scoffed. "Really? _I_ said some things? What did _I_ say to you?" Taze stayed quiet for a long time, so I decided to answer for him. "I think you said _exactly_ what you wanted to say to me in that text message, but the things that… I really want to say to you… I can't say… Not here like this…" I made sure that Taze had his eyes on mine before continuing. "So I'll just say this: I'm glad that I got amnesia, 'cause it meant that I forgot about you. My only regret is going to Bootleg and seeing you again. You mean _nothing_ to me, Taze. And I hate, I _hate_ the fact that I thought you might have meant something to me before. All you've made me do is question what it was that I saw in you in the first place and make me hate myself for abandoning everyone else like I did."

Taze took a step back, the look on his face almost as if he was shocked by all that I had said. Finally though, he just shrugged. "Whatever… I'm outta here…" he muttered, walking away from the garage in silence. I watched him leave. He didn't look back once. When he was out of sight, I silently sat back down at the table before sighing.

"Tyler…" Leo muttered. "What was that about?"

I took my eyes off the paper I had focused on, looking to Leo, who I could easily tell had a look of concern on his face.

"Nothing." I assured him. "Now, let's look at question one…"

* * *

It didn't take us long to get through Leo's homework, but by the end of it, I was seriously confused as to what the point of some of the questions were. The short answer stuff was okay, but some of the multiple choice questions were absolutely ridiculous and had nothing to do with actually playing Duel Monsters, such as naming the animal being blown away in Heavy Storm's artwork.

Nevertheless, we completed the sheet, and I was ninety-nine percent sure all the answers were correct.

"I bet it feels good to have finished your homework… That's all you've got, isn't it?" I asked.

Leo nodded. "Yep. Thanks a bunch for helping me out with it." He grinned.

"Not a problem. Now, aside from the homework, how are you doing in class?"

"I'm doing okay. The theory's _really_ boring though!"

"Is Luna doing alright in class?"

"Yeah, Luna's doing fine. Surprisingly."

"What do you mean?"

"She keeps staring at Sly in class! It's totally weird! You saw how he was when he came over that time, right? Rude, arrogant, just an all 'round jerk! I don't want Luna hanging around him!" Leo protested. A smile must've formed on my face, because Leo groaned at me, puffing his cheeks before shouting at me. "Why are you smiling?!"

My eyes widened. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to. I think it's cool that you care about your sister. I mean, I can't really judge Sly since I only met him the once, but Luna's a smart kid. If Sly was bad news, I think she'd be the first to ditch him."

"Well _I_ don't like him…" Leo grumbled. "No one else does either…"

"So does that mean you and Luna don't hang out at school? Like, she'd go with Sly and you'd go with everyone else?"

"Well he wasn't at school today, so Luna hung out with Patty." Leo stated.

"Wait, Sly wasn't at school?" I asked.

"Nope."

I felt weird again. I turned to the window, focusing on it for a few seconds before getting up and walking over to it. I picked up Yusei's deck, it unfortunately taking me longer than it should have to notice something was wrong. Yusei's Nitro Warrior card looked back at me and I panicked.

I put Yusei's deck down, checking my immediate area. The shelf, the arbitrary milk crate, the floor, but it was nowhere to be found.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, noticing my plight.

I jerked, sweat forming on my forehead. I hastily turned to Leo. "Um… I _may_ have misplaced Yusei's Stardust Dragon…"

"What do you mean 'misplaced'?!" Leo probed.

"Well, Yusei left his deck here, something to do with working on Jack's Duel Runner, and now Stardust is gone! It was on the top of the deck 'cause the deck was face-up and now it's just… gone!"

Leo's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. "That's not good!"

"I know!"

"Well, it can't just have disappeared, right? Maybe you can sense its spirit!"

"Sense its spirit…?" I muttered.

"Yeah, like maybe Stardust Dragon is calling out to you. Maybe if we be _really_ quiet and just listen for it, Stardust Dragon can tell you where he is."

"Okay…" I shrugged. I closed my eyes and attempted to block out all other sounds, focusing only on, and attempting to hear the call of Yusei's Stardust Dragon.

"Hear anything?" Leo asked.

"Not yet…" I truthfully didn't have high hopes for my ability to be able to sense a card's whereabouts through its cries. The last time I had any extended interaction with a Duel Spirit was six months ago at Leo and Luna's penthouse, which didn't end well. Even so, it wasn't like I had much else to go on. I couldn't tell Zora and risk getting into trouble, and the same went with Jack and Crow. This was something that I had to do on my own.

I then remembered the figure standing outside the garage, the one who _had_ to have been staring at me.

"Sly…" I muttered.

"What?"

"I think he was here…"

"Huh?"

"Throughout the whole day, while I was down here, I felt as if someone was staring at me through the window there. When you said that Sly wasn't at school, it made me think that he might have…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"Stolen Yusei's card?" Leo finished.

"No, that's silly. Sorry." I apologized. "I shouldn't. I can't think that he would just steal it. I probably just misplaced it, it's probably still here."

"It would be _totally_ just like Sly to steal Stardust Dragon! Remember how he spoke to Yusei? He probably thinks he doesn't deserve it!" Leo shouted. "Tyler, we gotta find him and get that card back!"

"Well, okay, let's say he did take it. Do you know where he lives? Or if he goes anywhere in the afternoon?"

Leo put a hand to his chin, before his eyes widened. "He'd probably go down to the old Duel Arena, being antisocial and all."

"You mean the one just across from Bootleg?"

"Yeah."

"That's like, a little way away from my apartment." I looked down at my shoes before facing Leo again. "Alright. I'll head over to the Duel Arena, but I'll take you home first. It's getting late. Luna's probably waiting for you."

"Huh?! No way! I'm coming with you!" Leo shouted.

"I'm not gonna be there long, Leo, so there's not really any point in you coming. And I wouldn't want you to stay out late and have Luna worrying about you."

"Nuh-uh!" Leo argued. "I _have_ to come! Besides, I've never ridden with you before! I'm not gonna do anything bad, I promise!"

"Oh, alright. Come on then." I sighed, motioning for him to follow me out to my Duel Runner as I got a spare helmet from inside the garage and locked the windows along with everything else.

* * *

I had only gone to the Underground Duel Arena a couple of times when I first moved into my apartment, and only then just to watch others Duel, but now with the Grand Prix and everything, I expected the place to be a little crowded and have people training for it or whatever, but there was actually barely anyone inside apart from a little crowd of people standing near an empty table.

"Man, you'd think that this place would've been cleaned up a little. Look at all these cards." Leo said, bending down to take a copy of Eternal Rest from the card collection strewn across the floor.

"Yeah, the alcohol too…" I muttered, looking to the empty bottles resting on pretty much all the tables. The group of people that were there seemed to be drinking pretty heavily too. I turned to see a kid wearing the Duel Academy uniform standing near a table as he quietly sifted through his cards. "Hey, Leo. Isn't that one of your friends?" I asked.

Leo's eyes widened. "Yeah, that's Dexter! Hey! Dexter!" Leo shouted, running over to him. I followed at a healthy click.

"Oh, sup Leo?" Dexter greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Leo shouted.

"I came here 'cause Luna invited me. I just wanted to see a bunch of cool cards being played. But so far, nothing's really caught my eye. And I really want to feast my eyes on something cool…"

"Wait! _Luna's_ here? Where is she?"

"She's over there, talking with Sly." Dexter shrugged, pointing to the other side of the arena, where Luna and Sly were seated at a table. Luna was wearing her school uniform, while Sly was wearing just a black shirt with black shorts.

"No way! C'mon, Tyler!" Leo shouted, rushing over to the two as quick as he could, moving in amongst the crowd of other Duelists. I followed behind, moving around the group instead of going through them. "Hey! Sly!" Leo called.

"Leo, Tyler, what are you doing here?" Luna asked.

"I could ask you the same thing! Especially with _him_ of all people!" Leo groaned, eyeing Sly angrily.

"Calm down, Leo. Sly invited me here. He said that he had something he wanted to show me." Luna explained.

"That's actually… why I'm here." I spoke softly, pulling up a chair as I sat down beside Luna, facing Sly. "Sorry, I don't think I've properly introduced myself to you yet. My name's Tyler." I smiled. I went to reach out for a handshake, but Sly just sighed.

"What do you want…?" he muttered.

"Well, I'm very sorry if I'm mistaken, but… Did I see you today, around the side of the garage? You know, Yusei's place at the Fountain Plaza?"

"You _might_ have. What's your point?"

"Well, see… Yusei wasn't there, and he left his deck on the windowsill. Now, I didn't think of taking it and putting it somewhere else but, um… One of his cards seems to have been misplaced. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Tyler, what are you talking about?" Luna asked.

Sly let out a short laugh. "I don't need to listen to this…" he muttered, getting up out of his seat.

"We know you took Yusei's Stardust Dragon!" Leo yelled, pounding his hands down onto the table. "So just give it back!"

Luna looked towards Leo, then to Sly, and then towards me. "Is that true, Sly?"

"Look, Sly…" I began. "If you happened to take the card, that's okay, that's perfectly understandable. Maybe you took it accidentally. Maybe you just wanted to show the card off to a couple buddies. That's fine, but… It's not your card. You can't just take something that doesn't belong to you. If you give me the card, Yusei won't have to know you ever took it, and everything'll be okay. You won't get in trouble, I promise." I tried to assure him. By this point, I was more than certain that this kid had the card, but he didn't seem to be letting up. Even so, I didn't want him to be completely resistant, and I was willing to give him, in some form or another, some support, or at the very least, an out.

Sly looked on behind me, as if he was trying to figure out in his head if he could make a run for it. Sly stared back down at the wooden table, which suddenly seemed to interest him greatly.

"No…" he croaked.

"What?" Leo twitched.

"He doesn't deserve Stardust Dragon!" he shouted.

"Sly…?" Luna mumbled.

"And you guys don't deserve your Synchro Monsters either!" Sly snapped, before turning to me. "Especially you. Your Duel with Heitmann was a joke. Your deck is terrible, I don't even know how you managed to beat him, and then you get a message on your phone and then you leave looking like you're gonna cry. Are you _gay_ or something?"

I chuckled, clasping my hands together. The entire revelation, the switch in Sly's demeanor honestly disarmed me just a little, and encouraged me to drop my warm behavior, which I did, almost instantly. "Oh, this is just too funny. Here I was thinking you're a good kid but a little misunderstood, and it turns out you're just an asshole."

"Sly… I…" Luna mumbled, at a loss for words. "Why? Why would you do something like this? I thought-"

"Oh just zip it!" Sly shouted. "You think _I_ care about what _you_ have to say, of _all_ people?! I don't even _like_ you!"

Luna gasped. "Wh… what…?" She got up out of her chair, taking a few steps back.

"Okay, Sly. Here's how this is gonna go: You're gonna hand over Stardust Dragon, and then we're gonna leave, and then you can do _whatever_ you like." I said.

"Yeah? You gonna make me?" Sly taunted. My heart skipped a beat as I felt someone whip past me. Sly staggered back as Leo's fist made contact with Sly's cheek.

"I'll make you regret making my sister cry!" Leo shouted. I turned to Luna and saw that she was in fact crying. My expression hardened.

"You brain dead piece of shit…" Sly muttered before charging at Leo.

I pushed Leo aside and quickly got in between the two boys as Sly stopped. "Okay, I think that's enough-" My head snapped back slightly as Sly landed a punch on the side of my face.

I knew better than to get into a fight with the smart mouthed, shit-eating kid, even though there was a small part of me telling the rest of me just to hit him once, hard and fast. I didn't though. I didn't get the chance. Leo tackled Sly to the ground, hands tightly gripping his neck as he throttled him against the cold, hard floor. Sly frantically pushed against Leo's arms in an attempt for him to let go.

I knelt down, reaching over and into the pockets of Sly's shorts until I found Stardust Dragon. It was a little bent, but other than that it was still in good condition. "Leo, it's here. I got it. You can let him go." I said. Leo however kept on strangling Sly as I noticed the latter's eyes start to water and close. "Leo, that's enough!" I repeated.

"Stop it, Leo!" Luna shouted. I groaned, pulling Leo off of Sly and once again separating the two boys, Sly desperately gasping for air. Leo pulled forward and kicked Sly in the groin, who howled in pain and writhed against the floor.

"Stay away from me, and stay away from my sister, or you'll be sorry!" Leo spat before turning back to us and walking over to Luna. "Luna, are you okay?" he asked softly.

Luna stayed silent as she sniffed repeatedly, tear stains on her face. Luna twitched, and then she ran, not into Leo's arms, but into mine.

I felt the front of my shirt dampen as Luna sniffed profusely, her breathing erratic and heavy. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around Luna as she shivered, gripping my shirt feverishly.

I looked to Sly, who was grunting in pain, before looking back down at Luna, quivering in my embrace.

"Come on. I'll take you guys home."

* * *

Silence.

That was basically all there was as I kept along a road to take the twins back to their place. I had Luna basically sitting in my lap with Leo behind me clutching my shoulders, only Leo and I wearing helmets. It wasn't _exactly_ legal what I was doing, but I did have my auto-pilot on, and I made sure to stay well within the speed limit.

Leo tried talking with Luna a little about what happened with Sly and everything, but she wasn't in any mood to talk. That is until I took a left turn where we passed by a clearing and Luna started trembling. "Tyler, c-can you p-pull over for a second?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course…" I muttered, turning my indicator on as I slowly changed lanes, before pulling over to the side of the road.

Luna scrambled out from in front of me and ran over to the grass. I kept my eyes squarely on the road ahead as I heard her cough, splutter and gag. After a few minutes, the sounds died down and Luna walked back over to us, her body almost entirely devoid of color.

"Are you alright?" I spoke softly.

"I'm so sorry about that…" Luna mumbled.

"You don't have to be sorry." I assured her. "Do you wanna take a moment just to rest?"

"I just want to go home…" Luna's voice wavered.

"Okay," I nodded. "We're almost there, so don't worry."

Luna clambered on my Duel Runner, her movements shaky, her body still shivering against mine. After checking to make sure that both the twins were set, I took off slowly, getting back into the correct lane as I took them home.

* * *

We pulled up outside of the apartment complex and Leo got off almost straight away, handing me back my spare helmet and going inside in silence.

"A-are you going to stay?" Luna asked as she turned back to me.

"Unfortunately I can't. I need to get Stardust Dragon back to Yusei's place. I'm sorry."

"Oh…" Luna muttered, the depression clear in her voice.

"But listen… Sly's an idiot. You're such a great person. You're fun, you're caring, you're kind. You're the best person I know, and you shouldn't let Sly get to you. You've got a wonderful brother who loves you, and as I said, I think you're just the best."

"Tyler…" Luna whispered, a smile slowly forming on her face.

"Look, tomorrow's the weekend. If you want, I can come over in the morning, and then we can go out and do something. Just the two of us. We can do whatever you want."

"That would be great."

"Cool… Alright, will you be up by ten o'clock?"

"Yep." She smiled.

"Okay, awesome. I'll see you then." I said, revving my Duel Runner as I turned it around and headed on back to Yusei's place.


	6. Something That Will Last

As my breathing quickened, I knocked on the door to Leo and Luna's penthouse. I could hear frantic movement from inside, so I quickly patted myself down and straightened up. I could feel both my wallet and bottle of pills resting nicely in their separate pockets.

I hadn't actually gotten that much sleep with all that had happened the previous night with Sly and everything. I'd managed to get Stardust Dragon back to Yusei's in once piece, and bent it back into shape by putting it under a copy of the White Pages. Even though the Stardust Dragon issue had been resolved, I was still worried about Luna, as she'd unfortunately been put in pretty bad shape thanks to Sly.

The upside to me getting almost no sleep was that I was able to get up early and prepare for the day, which I had promised to spend with Luna. I'd picked out my stuffy collared shirt, which was basically the only remotely fancy thing I had in terms of clothing, and I spent a little less than an hour shaving, wanting to make myself look and feel as good as I could.

All that said, I was not at _all_ expecting Luna to look how she did when she answered the door.

Gone was her usual attire, and in its place, Luna wore a tiered white and pink skirt, a ribbon resting neatly at the top near her chest and below her neck. Her pigtails were gone too, Luna now having her hair straight and neatly brushed, and her sneakers had been replaced with light pink circo shoes.

"Well don't _you_ look lovely?" I smiled. When I realized how what I said might've come across or made her feel, I backtracked. "That's not to say that you don't usually, I just meant that…" I trailed off, sighing. "You know what? Let's start things again. Hi, Luna. How are you?"

Luna giggled. "Better, now that I've seen you."

"That's good. Sorry I'm a little later than I planned. My shower's busted so I had to go to Zora's. Anyway, you wanna get going?"

"Of course."

"Awesome!" I reached out for Luna to take my hand, which she did, before she turned back to the door.

"Leo! I'm going out with Tyler now! I'll see you a little later on, okay?" she called out, though there was no response. Luna sighed, quietly closing the door.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

Luna squeezed my hand. "Just Leo being Leo. Don't worry."

The two of us walked across the floor before heading into the elevator. After I pressed the button to take us to the ground floor, I noticed Luna was, in terms of health, looking a lot better than she had been the previous night, which was good. I smiled.

"Um, so Zora actually gave me some money, 'cause I helped look after the garage yesterday, so, um… if-if you want to go shopping, we can go and do that, or if you want to go and see a movie, we can do that instead, or _too_ , if you'd like." I stumbled. "Sorry, I should've asked you before. What would _you_ like to do?"

The elevator doors opened and I positioned for Luna to leave the elevator, holding a button to keep the doors open. "Well, there's this really nice restaurant called Treetop which is pretty close-by. Could we go there?" Luna asked.

"Treetop… Isn't that the really expensive place?" I mulled. "I'd love to take you there, Luna, I really would, but I just don't have the money. I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to pay." Luna stated. "I suggested we go there, so I'll pay. I've brought some money with me, it's okay."

"But _I'm_ supposed to be taking you out and stuff. It's not right that you pay."

"I _want_ to." Luna insisted. "Please, Tyler…"

I sighed. I didn't want Luna to pay for me, especially if we were going to eat at one of the most expensive restaurants in New Domino City, but I also didn't want to argue with her. I figured I should've at least been grateful that she was even offering to pay for me. "Well, if you want to, then I won't say no. But some way or another, I'll pay you back."

Luna shook her head. "As long as you're with me, I'm happy paying for anything."

"Thanks, Luna." I smiled, still intent on paying her back.

* * *

"This place is so cool! You can see everything from here!" I beamed, my face to the window next to our table. Luna and I were seated at a table for two that was dressed neatly with white cloth and an oil lamp in the middle. Beside us, a window gave us a lovely view of the whole Tops area along with the majority of New Domino City. Sure, I'd seen the city before, in fact the view at Leo and Luna's place was probably better than it was where we were sitting, but of course, seeing the city then came before one of the lowest points of my life. The atmosphere of the restaurant was much nicer.

"I knew you'd like it. This restaurant is where my mom and dad had their first date with each other." Luna said, moving around in her seat. "Of course, it was at night, so the view was better, but it's still nice during the day."

"Well thank you for suggesting this place." I smiled.

"Thank _you_ for inviting me out today." Luna smiled back. "So what are you gonna get?" she asked.

"Um… I have no idea…" I tittered. Everything on the menu sounded really good, but it was all really expensive. "What about you?"

"Last time I came here with my mom, I got the Pounded Wagyu which I thought was pretty nice, so I think I might get that again."

I nodded. "I think I might get something small. Like the Lotus Root Chips." It was the cheapest food item on the menu.

"You should have more than that. Why don't you get the Fried Chicken with Ponzu Sauce instead?"

I looked down at my menu again. The Fried Chicken with Ponzu Sauce was mid-range, not too expensive, but not exactly cheap either. "Alright then. If you think I should." Almost as if on cue, a waiter walked over to our table. I turned to Luna. "Ladies first."

"Thanks…" Luna blushed, before turning to the waiter. "Um, I'll have the Pounded Wagyu with an iced tea, please."

"And for you, sir?"

"Can I get the, uh, Fried Chicken with Ponzu Sauce, and a Diet Coke, please?" I grinned, flattered at being called 'sir'.

The waiter nodded. "Anything else?" Luna and I looked to each other.

"No, I think that's all for now. Thank you." Luna smiled. The waiter bowed and walked off. A few moments of silence passed before Luna spoke again. "So I never really asked you, what did you get up to in the six months that we didn't see you for?"

"Honestly, not much. I, um… I was in a band with Taze, um…" I trailed off. I didn't really want to get into how I was seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication or anything like that. "No, that's it really."

"You were in a band?" Luna asked. "What instrument did you play?"

I looked down. I didn't really _play_ anything. Taze talked with me about me playing the guitar, but we never got around to it. Thankfully. Apart from that, the only other thing was…

"I sang." I simply said.

Luna moved forward in her seat. "…Could you sing for me?"

"Trust me, you don't want that. What we-I sang or did, it's not something you'd call music. I sound like the old lady a floor below me when she has one of her coughing fits." I explained, though when I noticed Luna's expression fade, I changed my answer to "Maybe later." And Luna smiled again. "What about you? I know you started school at Duel Academy and you had your birthday, but other stuff must've happened as well."

"Not really. Until recently, I've just been focusing on my schoolwork. It's a bit difficult because with everything that happened with the Dark Signers, I've decided to hold back a little in Duels. I don't want to draw any attention to myself. That and I still get tired sometimes during Duels, though it's more the attention thing."

"Well I don't think you should hold back. I reckon you could beat everybody in your class _easily_. You shouldn't not try your best because you're afraid of the attention, because that won't be good for your grades. You should try your best and show your teachers and the other students how _awesome_ you are!"

"You think?"

"Definitely!" I nodded. "You're a really good Duelist. I'm certain you can get to the top of your class."

"That would be great! But… well, the thing is…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm… I'm really worried about school on Monday…"

"Because of Sly?" I asked. Luna nodded. I sighed. "Luna, you shouldn't worry about him. He's a jerk. And he made a _big_ mistake with what he did."

"I'm sorry he punched you…" Luna mumbled.

"Trust me, it didn't even hurt. Besides, it's not your fault. None of what Sly did was your fault. All you did was try and be his friend, and you shouldn't feel bad for that. And just so you know, if _I_ were in his shoes, I would have _never_ done what he did. I would have done everything that I could to keep someone as kind and special as you as my friend, and I would treat you like one of the most important people in the world."

"Tyler…" Luna's expression softened and I smiled.

My eyes wandered. A few tables down from us, I noticed a woman dressed in a nice-looking blazer staring at me. As my eyes locked to hers, a smile formed on her face.

"Tyler! Hi!" She called, waving at me as she got up from her seat and started walking over to us. I couldn't quite put my finger on where I had seen her before. "You look surprised. Do you remember me?" the woman asked with a smile.

"You _do_ look familiar…" I said.

"I'm Seria. I was doing research for the Arcadia Movement."

My heart rate increased and Luna looked at me with alarm. I hadn't really thought about all that went on at the Arcadia Movement in a long time, one reason being that I didn't exactly want to. Looking at Seria's face though pushed all the memories and feelings I had of and for that time, anger, sadness and confusion, to the forefront of my mind.

For some reason though, part of me was also happy that I saw her again. After all, she was probably the one who was looking out for me the most at the Arcadia Movement. Maybe even one of the few who actually cared about me at that point in time.

"Seria, hi!" I said, getting up out of my seat. I extended my hand for a handshake, but Seria pulled me into a hug.

"It's _so_ good to see you again!" she chirped, pulling away and resting her hands on my shoulders. Seria looked to Luna and then to me.

"Oh, Luna. Seria's one of the cool people at the Arcadia Movement. You know, like, she actually cared about me and stuff." I explained.

"To be honest, the way they went about things never really sat well with me. But I guess it's not a problem anymore. The whole organization is gone. Although, I never did apologize for everything you went through." Seria sighed.

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't you who really did anything wrong, and I mean… you _did_ save my life."

"Even so, I wouldn't have had to save you if I had've done what was right in the first place…" Seria muttered, looking away. "I… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have come over here. My apologies for interrupting your date." She bowed, before starting to walk away.

" _D-date_ …?" Luna gasped, her face reddening.

"Seria, wait!" I called to her. Seria stopped and looked back at me. "I don't blame you for what happened. I-it was Sayer, all of it, and you were only following orders. If it hadn't have been for you, I'd have probably gone down with the Arcadia Movement…" I muttered. "But anyway, that's enough of the morbid depressing stuff. What have you been up to?"

Seria walked back over to me. "Well actually, a couple months ago, I was offered a job at the Public Security Bureau. And so, I started an exciting new chapter in my life!"

"So what are you doing now then?" I asked.

"My new job is to make sure the Grand Prix runs smoothly, but today I have the day off, so I thought I'd treat myself to a nice lunch. You seem to be doing very well if you're eating here."

"Actually, Luna's paying for me." I stated.

Seria looked to Luna before her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Seria. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Luna."

"N-nice to meet you too…" Luna stammered.

"So, are you thinking of entering the Grand Prix, Tyler?"

"Uhh… honestly I haven't really thought about it. I mean, I'd like to, but the people I'd want to partner with are already part of a team, so probably not."

"Wait, you mean Yusei, Crow and Jack?" Luna asked. I nodded. "I haven't actually heard that they had planned what they were going to do. Why don't you ask Yusei if you can join his team? I'm sure he'd say yes."

"But then there'd be four of us, and you can only have three to a team." I said.

"Well Yusei told me that you can actually have four on a team, but that the fourth person is in reserve just in case anything happens on the day. You could alternate with Crow. Or Jack."

"Maybe…"

I pondered what Luna had said for a moment. Seria moved away as a gentleman walked over with mine and Luna's meals, placing them down in front of us.

"Well, looks like your food's here. So I'll let you start eating it before it goes cold. It was nice to see you again, Tyler." Seria smiled. "I hope to see you participating in the Grand Prix."

"Thanks." I smiled. Seria returned my gesture and bowed, before walking away.

Luna and I turned to each other.

"Shall we eat?"

* * *

I moved my eating utensils to the side, taking a napkin to clean my face with.

The food. Oh my God! The _food_! It was most definitely the best thing I had ever tasted! Truthfully, I didn't even know what Ponzu Sauce was, and so I was a bit apprehensive before I started eating it, but I was glad that I listened to Luna and got it. That being said, I probably should've paced myself a little better, as I had finished eating while Luna was only about halfway through her meal.

"Sorry," I chuckled. "I think I should've eaten a little bit slower."

Luna finished her mouthful and looked to me. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I did. Thank you for suggesting it."

"You're welcome." Luna blushed, before continuing her meal. I moved around in my seat, happy to wait for Luna to finish eating. "I, um… I forgot the last time I had this, I couldn't end up finishing it all. Would you like some?" she offered.

"No thank you, I'm fine. Thank you for offering though."

"I'll see if I can get a plastic container for it when the waiter comes by again."

I nodded. "So, have you thought about what you want to do next?"

"Not really. I was going to suggest that we could go to an ice cream place for some dessert if you're still hungry."

"Sounds good to me. But _I'm_ paying this time, okay?" I shifted back in my seat. My eyes widened as I felt my bottle of pills in my right pocket slip out and fall to the ground.

"What was that?" Luna asked.

"Nothing. It's alright." I assured her, bending over my side and retrieving the bottle, silently sliding it back into my pocket before it fell out again. "Damn it!" I cracked. "Sorry, just gimme a sec." I sighed, getting up out of my seat to retrieve the bottle, as it had rolled further away from me.

"What are those?" Luna asked.

I turned, fumbling to put the bottle back in my pocket before sitting back down in my seat. "What's what?"

"You-you had a little bottle of something. What have you got? What's it for?"

"It's nothing, Luna. Don't worry about it." I said as calmly as possible.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't need it." Luna stated. "What's going on?"

My eyes fell to the plate in front of me. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. My whole body felt as if it was rocking back and forth with each beat, the sound, to me, almost like a timpani. I could feel it happening again. The loss of control. The fear. This time though, I had to power through it. Luna had seen me with the pills, and I couldn't get away with lying now.

"It's medication." I admitted, and before I knew it, I'd already started telling Luna the whole story. "You remember that night, at your place, when I almost… um…" I muttered, stopping myself as I didn't even want to say the word. Luna nodded carefully. "Well I realized that I had a lot of issues that I had to work through… I-I still do… Anyway, I've been seeing a psychiatrist since then. He prescribed these pills to… help me deal with my problems, get rid of my anxiety, stress, and depression. That's why until recently, I hadn't seen you or anyone else, I wanted…" I had to stop, as I found myself becoming more and more choked up. "I'm sorry…" I mumbled, putting a closed hand to my mouth. The two of us sat in silence as the notion that I had totally fucked up became apparent. I couldn't even bear to look at Luna anymore. I just felt absolutely terrible.

Luna reached over, placing her hand on mine. "It's okay…" She whispered.

But it wasn't.

I pulled my hand away, wiping my brow before opening my eyes and sighing, Hell-bent on continuing. "I wanted to have all my issues sorted out before I saw you guys again so that stuff like _this_ wouldn't happen. I didn't tell you guys I was taking medication because I didn't want you guys to judge me, or think any differently of me, like it's impossible for me to be normal without taking some stupid pills. I know they're stupid. Taze stopped being friends with me because of them! I… I don't want to lose you, or anyone else… You're _so_ important to me… You have no idea…"

I sat back in my chair, my mental and emotional exhaustion impalpable. I closed my eyes, breathing slowly. "Tyler…" Luna said my name softly, almost as if she could sense the strain I had needlessly put on myself. "I would never think poorly of you for trying to take care of yourself. Ever since we met, you've done so much for me, more than I think anyone else has ever done. You've saved me, you've protected me, you've always been there for me. What I'm trying to say is, you're still you, and I… I wouldn't trade you for anyone…"

I was at a complete loss for words. The smile that Luna gave me quickly brought a smile to my own face. I felt all my negative thoughts and feelings drift away as I just sat across from her, smiling uncontrollably. "Thanks…" I whispered. "Now I feel bad though. This was supposed to be for you, but you've spent more time making _me_ feel better than I have been with you."

Luna shook her head. "You've made me feel better just by being with me…"

"Thanks, Luna. And listen, I appreciate you worrying about me. I can't deny I've had a lot on my mind, and I've probably been complicating things unnecessarily, but I'm gonna be fine." I leaned forward in my seat. "Can you promise me something though?" I asked.

Luna nodded quickly. "Of course."

"At school on Monday, and I _know_ you don't wanna think about it, I want you to be bright and cheerful, even if it's only in class or around Sly. If he sees that you're even a little upset about what happened between you two, then he's won. But more than that, you _should_ be happy, and you certainly didn't deserve to be treated how you were. When you're happy, _I'm_ happy, and I'm sure everyone else is too…"

"Tyler…" Luna crimsoned.

"Now, how 'bout that ice cream? My treat."

* * *

Aside from my little upset during lunch, the rest of the day went incredibly well. Luna took me to the ice cream place in the Tops, and I bought the both of us some ice cream. It was a little expensive, but compared to the lunch that Luna had bought for me, it was nothing.

I think I actually felt a lot better too. Now that I had been open with Luna about me taking medication, I wasn't worried about it, and I was able to focus my attention on making sure she had a good time. The only thing that still bothered me was I knew that nothing I would eat from then on would ever top the Fried Chicken with Ponzu Sauce I had at Treetop.

I took Luna home in the late afternoon. We'd spent the majority of our time at the ice cream place, just sitting and chatting. I'd asked Luna if she wanted to go shopping or something, but she said she was perfectly content just talking to me.

We arrived back at Luna's place, the sun coming through the atrium of the complex, Luna and I walking hand in hand towards her front door. "Thanks for taking me out today. I had a really good time." Luna smiled as we rocked up just outside her door.

"It's my pleasure." I said before turning away. "Sorry about what happened during lunch…" I mumbled, regretting bringing it up the moment I said it.

Luna shook off my avowal before swallowing quietly. "Maybe we could… go out again sometime…?"

"I'd like that a lot." I smiled. Luna perked up, beaming at me as she moved in for a hug, her arms against my sides, her head leaning on my chest. I rested my right hand on her shoulder until she pulled away. "Well… I should let you get inside." I said.

"Y-yeah, o-okay…" Luna muttered. I smiled, turning away as I moved my hands into my front pockets. "Tyler…! Wait!" Luna called.

I turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"Um…" Luna stammered, her face going red. "I… um…" Luna sighed. "It's nothing… Forget it…"

I looked at Luna for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not to press her on what she was going to say. From her expression, it seemed like Luna wanted to tell me something important, but I eventually decided to just let it be, and wait for Luna to tell me whatever it was she was going to at another time. "See you 'round, Luna…"

"S-see ya…!" she replied.


	7. Youth Gone Wild

"I've missed you so much…" I whispered. "I never realized how important you were to me until you weren't there anymore."

The water from my shower washed over me, my hands raised as I felt each drop run through my fingertips, across my arms and down my body. I sighed in bliss. One week was just too long. Sure, Zora's shower was better than nothing, but it had this weird water-saving nozzle which made showering really uncomfortable for me. It was also a pain for me having to get up and leave the apartment and head over to Zora's _just_ to use her shower.

Having my own, and now being able to use it again, was much better.

A few quick knocks at my door brought me out of my one-sided conversation with my shower as I looked to the towel hung over the side of it.

"Just a second!" I called out, quickly turning the water off.

* * *

I moved hurriedly to put the rest of my clothes on, before unlocking my front door and opening it.

"Morning… …Tyler…!" Leo struggled to greet, his face flooded with color as he breathed heavily.

"Leo, what's up? Are you alright?" I asked, a little perplexed as to how Leo knew where to find me, since I'd never told him where I lived, but more concerned about his current condition. "You look like you ran here."

"I did…!" Leo huffed. "You live… pretty far from us… and… I didn't want to take the bus…"

"Alright, well would you like to sit down for a second?"

Leo shook his head. "No… no time…" he kept breathing noisily as I waited for him to catch his breath and tell me why he had come to my apartment. Eventually his breathing slowed to a normal pace. "So… this is your place, huh?" Leo mulled, moving past me and into my apartment. I turned to him as he looked around. "Where's your TV?" he asked. I pointed to the small CRT unit resting on the coffee table, which was also, coincidentally, my dining room table. " _What_? _That_ thing's a TV?! It's so _tiny_!"

"Blister got it for me from the Satellite. It works just fine and it's not like I need an HD TV." I explained. "Anyway, not that I don't enjoy your company or anything, but there's got to be a reason you came here, right?"

Leo stared blankly for a second before blinking a couple of times. "Oh, yeah! I heard a rumor going around at Duel Academy, that there's this haunted house in the middle of a forest, and phantoms live there. The story is, is that people who go into the forest to check out the house _never_ come out again."

"Okay…" I said, waiting to see where Leo was going with what he'd said already. Though truthfully, with everything that had gone on with the Dark Signers, I was willing to believe almost anything.

"I was wondering if you could take us there."

" _Us_?"

"Luna and me. She's outside waiting. She didn't want to come, she said she's too scared, but I'm making her come along, 'cause I don't trust her to be home by herself or anything."

It was so sudden that I didn't even notice it at first. The change in Leo's demeanor. Leo had always struck me as a happy-go-lucky kind of person, and there had only been a few instances where I had seen him upset or angry. There were even less instances, that is, absolutely none, that I could recall of Leo being mad at his sister. But I could tell now that, for some reason or another, he was mad at his sister. And I might've had something to do with that.

"How is she…?" I asked softly. My mind wandered back to the last time I'd seen Luna, the weekend prior where we'd spent the Saturday together. I had told Luna to put on a brave face and be happy at school, try her best in class, and not let Sly get to her.

"She's fine…" Leo twitched before sighing. "Actually… I have no idea how she is. We've barely spoken to each other since… You know…" he trailed off. I did know, and that's what surprised me.

" _Really_?"

Leo nodded. "That's why Dexter's coming along too. He's the one who kept on bugging me at school to go and check it out with him. If it was just Luna and me, it would be silence." Leo shook his head as he let out an irritated groan. "So anyway, would it be okay with you if you took us both to go meet up with Dexter? He's already waiting for us." Before I could answer, Leo started talking again. "If you don't want to take us or you've already got something planned for the day, that's fine. And if you don't come, and if we don't show up, Dexter might drop the whole thing anyway."

"I'd be happy to take the two of you." I said, smiling slightly as I kept my voice low.

"W-wait… really?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I'll just get my things together. You just need to tell me where exactly this place is so I can take you there."

"Oh… i-it's… um… A forest, um… below one of the Combat Lanes. It's right near Duel Academy… Sorry, I'm not good with directions. I'll know it better when we're close to it."

"And you said Dexter's waiting for you guys right now?" I asked. Leo nodded. "Alright, well we'd better not keep him waiting then." I motioned for Leo to follow me out as I grabbed my phone and keys. As Leo walked past, I pulled the door shut and locked it, taking the lead as we headed for the elevator to go down and get my Duel Runner.

I kept thinking about what happened between Leo, Luna and Sly. Something had changed with Leo from when we left the Underground Duel Arena and when I took him and Luna home. As soon as we got there, he just went off and headed inside, without so much as a goodbye, and he didn't even ask if Luna was okay after she threw up.

I knew it wasn't my place to say anything. What went on between Leo and Luna, it wasn't anything to do with me, after all.

At least, I hoped it wasn't.

I decided to let Leo wear my helmet as the two of us made our way out of the parking lot and around to the front of the complex where Luna was waiting. I slowed to a stop in front of her.

"Hey, Luna. How's it going?" I asked, trying to sound as cheerful as I could.

Luna's eyes focused on mine, as if she'd previously been lost inside her own head. "Oh! H-hi, Tyler! Um… great!"

I moved back in my seat. "You ready to go?"

Luna nodded, getting on in front of me before looking back to me. "Thank you for taking us." Luna smiled. "We really appreciate it."

I felt Leo's grip on my shoulders tighten just a little. "It's no trouble. I'm glad to. Anyway, Dexter's probably waiting, so let's get going."

* * *

It had quickly become overcast as Leo, Luna and myself set out from my apartment, and by the time we met up with Dexter, I would have never known it was daytime without checking my phone. The small amount of sunlight there was struggled to get through the trees, caught by the shadows which seemed to grow and stretch on forever.

The faint cries of birds could be heard, though our bodies moving with and against the ground, trees and other random plants seemed to drown out most of the other ambience. A haze fanned through the air, thick and unbridled.

"I don't like this… Let's pull back… O-okay, guys… guys…?" Leo shouted, feverishly looking around as we made our way into a clearing of sorts.

"Wait, what? Go back? Why?" Dexter asked. "Are you _actually_ scared?" a smile broke across his face as Leo took a step back.

"Of c-course I'm not scared!" Leo protested, although the fact that he had been basically clinging to either Dexter or myself the whole time said otherwise. "It's just… you know, we haven't found the house or anything yet… Maybe the rumor's just a rumor and we're wasting our time."

"We've only been out here for half an hour, and you've been taking baby steps the whole time. We can _literally_ still see where we came in from."

I looked to where Dexter was pointing, and I could see my Duel Runner parked near the side of the entrance a distance away, blades of grass swaying gently from side to side. "He does have a point…" I muttered. "But look: Leo, if you genuinely don't want to do this anymore, I can take you home. Trust me, it's no trouble." I assured him.

"You'd… probably come back out here after then, wouldn't you?" Leo asked. I nodded.

"Of course. I'd take Luna home after, if she wanted to stay. Plus, it's not exactly safe for you guys to be out here on your own anyway."

"Well if you're gonna be coming back, then there's no point in me leaving! I'm fine anyway!" Leo shouted.

"Okay, well the offer's there if you want it." I sighed.

"Just stay close together." Leo added.

"If you say so…" Dexter muttered.

The four of us walked in silence. I led, followed by Luna, Dexter, and then Leo. It was then that I noticed that many of the trees we were passing were gripped and held tightly by vines, the trees themselves looking brittle, dry and dead, though the vines seemed full of life.

"Tyler…" Luna whispered, tugging on my sleeve.

"Yeah?" I turned to her, a nervous expression on her face, the two of us stationary as Leo and Dexter began to walk ahead of us.

"I just wanted to say again… I really enjoyed lunch with you last week… Thank you…"

"That's okay… I enjoy your company… Thank you for paying, by the way…" I smiled. "I wanted to ask as well… How'd you go at school this week…?"

"A lot better than I thought I would, actually… Sly didn't show up on Monday or Tuesday, and for the rest of the week he pretty much avoided me… And yesterday we had a practical test and I got the highest mark in the class…"

"Hey, congratulations…!" I praised.

"I couldn't have done it without you…"

"Hey! What are you two whispering about?!" Dexter yelled back to us.

"Who cares!?" Leo suddenly snapped. "In fact, you know what?!" Leo turned to Dexter. " _You_ were the one who wanted to do this! So _you_ can lead!" he huffed, pushing Dexter in front of him.

"You say that as if I haven't been leading for most of the time anyway." Dexter responded.

"Whatever!" Leo hissed. "Let's just get this over with!"

I sighed as I decided to pick up the pace so that I wasn't lagging behind anymore. I broke into a light jog until I caught up with Leo and Dexter, the two of them standing around in another clearing, looking around observantly.

"Let's keep going in this direction for a little while longer, and then if we don't find anything, we can head _east_. Or go _home_ , if _that's_ what _you_ want to do, _Leo_." Dexter teased, before looking behind me. "Wait, where's Luna?" Dexter asked.

"She-" I stopped, my eyes widening as I turned to see that no one was behind me, and Luna was nowhere to be seen. "Was right behind me…" My eyes quickly darted around in all directions as I tried to see if she was still coming. I started running, doubling back the way we came until I reached a certain distance, but there was no trace of her. "Luna!" I called, raising my hands and cupping them over my mouth in an attempt to amplify the sound. "Luna! Luna, can you hear me?!"

No response.

I quickly ran back over to the two boys. "I'm gonna head back the way we came. The whole way." I told them, my voice starting to shake. "Maybe she tripped over something, o-or maybe she's hurt herself. I-I-I don't know!"

"Figures that Luna would get lost…" Leo mumbled.

"Okay, seriously! What the Hell?" Dexter shouted, turning to Leo. "You've been a real jerk to her lately for no reason. The whole of this week you've either been laying into her or giving her the silent treatment. You know what I think, Leo? Luna just had enough of you treating her like crap, turned and walked right out of the forest and is now on her way home 'cause she doesn't want to be here with you!"

"Yep, of course. _You're_ turning against me too! That's _so_ typical of you to side with _Luna_ over _me_!"

"Okay, why don't we all just take a second to calm down…" I suggested, trying to defuse the situation, as the most important thing, at least to me, was to find Luna and make sure she was okay.

"Shut up, Tyler! Why do you always have to keep butting into things that don't have anything to do with you?! What the Hell's your problem!?" Leo snapped.

I stood across from Leo like a deer caught in headlights, having absolutely no idea how to respond to his sudden outburst. "I'm… I'm sorry?"

"You're always intruding! Trying to… hang out with her! Giving her chocolates! Going out on dates! Being all goody-goody with her!" Leo snapped again. I'd heard enough. To me it sounded like Leo was pissed at me for caring about Luna, but whether or not that was true didn't matter to me. I wasn't going to stay quiet anymore.

"Okay, Leo, _listen_." I said firmly. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I did _not_ take you here so that you could yell at me for spending time with your sister, okay? I've been spending time with her because she's my friend, I appreciate her and she's been going through a pretty rough time. All you've been dwelling on is how 'stupid' she was for getting involved with Sly! You don't think that she knows that with everything that happened? She doesn't need you constantly reminding her, telling her how much she apparently screwed up, because 'you could see it' and she couldn't. Guess what, Leo? _People_ _screw_ _up_. Sometimes we make bad decisions, and we don't know they're bad until later on when we look back at those decisions and wonder how and why we made them. We don't want or need people telling us we made bad decisions because we know that! What we _do_ want is support from the people we love, from the people that matter to us the most. Because if we don't have that, we have nothing. Trust me."

"Well said…" Dexter muttered.

Leo and I stood opposite each other in silence, before Leo suddenly turned and started walking away.

"Leo, where are you going?" I asked.

"To find Luna." He grumbled.

"What? By yourself?"

"Yes!" Leo yelled, breaking into a run.

"Leo! Wait!"

* * *

I passed by another tall tree, taking a moment to catch my breath, before continuing on. At some point I had lost Leo in the forest, and so I now had two missing children to find. Not wanting to risk Dexter going missing as well, I led him back to the entrance, where we came in from, and sent him on his way. I would've taken him home, but I had to go and find the twins. Spending the time to take Dexter home could've put them in more danger.

I did end up getting my Duel Disk though, if only to act as a shield against the odd branch or two whilst walking around the forest.

"Damn it, Leo…" I muttered, starting to get sick of seeing trees everywhere. I was torn and distraught, unable to focus as horrible thoughts started forming in my head. I went to reach for my bottle of pills when I reminded myself that that wasn't going to solve anything. It had gotten to the point where I had lost track of where I'd been and where I hadn't. I sighed.

"Tyler…" a rough voice called as the image of an armored white lion faded into my view. It had been quite a while since I'd seen him, and to be honest, I thought I was hallucinating at first, but I wasn't.

"R-Regulus…" I muttered almost breathlessly.

"Tyler… You need to help Luna…" his voice echoed.

"You know where she is?" I asked.

Regulus nodded. "She was called to by a powerful spirit and is now being held in a house not far from here. If you head west from here, you'll reach a clearing and you'll find the house. Please, there's no time to waste. You must save Luna!"

I nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Regulus."

Regulus smiled warmly before disappearing, leaving me alone once again.

With renewed vigor, I looked to the west, and without a moment of hesitation, I started running through the trees, keeping my left arm up as I ran. I moved away from vines hanging down from various branches and kept running. I ran until my muscles ached unceasingly and my chest burned incredibly, but by the time that happened, I had made it to a clearing, and in the middle of that clearing, a house.

The house was rather big, or at least it looked that way from the outside. It also had a rather thick layer of moss covering parts of it, but the ground around it looking dry and lifeless. From how the house stood out, I was surprised I wasn't able to see it until I got as close as I did.

"This must be the place…" I said to myself, slowly walking up to the house.

The doors suddenly blew open, a gust of wind almost sweeping me off my feet. I secured myself, before looking up, expecting to see a terrifying creature from what Regulus said about a powerful spirit. Instead, I was greeted by a young boy, probably a little older than the twins.

The boy was very well-dressed, his steel-blue hair neatly combed, as he looked down at me, a vengeful glare across his face.

"Begone, foul spirit!" he shouted. "You are not welcome here!"

"Excuse me?"

"If you wish to harm us, you'll have to get through me!"

"No, I don't want-" I stopped, hearing a repeated banging sound. I looked around, my eyes zeroing in on one of the windows of the house. I saw Luna from behind it, looking back at me just as the boy started walking forward. "L-Luna!" I shouted.

The doors to the house suddenly closed. "What did I say? I said you're not welcome here!"

"I don't give a shit what you said!" I snapped. "You're holding my friend up there hostage, so you'd better let her go!"

"No! You'll just hurt her if I let you get to her! Stay back!" he said resolutely, a look of great determination on his face, which only served to further piss me off.

"You fucking twat…" I whispered.

"Leave now, or I'll have no choice but to use force!" the boy raised his arm into the air. I only just noticed that he had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm. Under any other circumstances, I would've just ignored the kid and gone inside, but the unfortunate thing was that some way or another he'd been able to shut the doors to his house while being outside it. I doubted that, even if I was able to get past the kid, I'd be able to get inside anyway.

There was also a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite describe. The look he was giving me reminded me too much of Explosivo, and that was probably my main reason for going through with what I did.

"Fine… You wanna go?" I asked, activating my Duel Disk. "Then let's go!"

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[?: 4000 LP]

The boy drew a card from his deck. "I activate the Spell Card, Circle of Life!"

I watched as a yellow seal appeared on the ground, embedded with strange writing and three symbols. One red, one green, and one blue. The boy walked forward until he joined me inside the seal. "As long as this card's on the field, each of us will have to send a Spell from our hand to the Graveyard if we want to play Spell Cards during that turn."

I briefly looked at the cards I had in my hand, making sure to give nothing away with my expression.

The boy continued. "So, I'm going to discard Mirror Prison to activate Circle of Terror!" As the boy slotted the card into his Duel Disk, another seal formed around us, this one a violet color, and emitting a bright light. "And now, with this one, we can only play Monsters if we discard a Monster Card at the start of our turns. So I'll discard Sleepy Beauty so that I can Summon my Hollow Spirit! If I discard Sleepy Beauty, I can decrease Hollow Spirit's level by one! Come forth, Hollow Spirit!"

My eyes widened as a creepy blue child-like thing with no pants but wearing a needlessly large shirt appeared on the field. [ATK: 1200]

Suffice it to say, it wasn't exactly the most intimidating of monsters.

"Finally, I activate Hollow Spirit's effect, which lets me inflict eight hundred points of damage to you if there's a Zombie in my Graveyard."

Hollow Spirit slowly raised its hands into the air and I found myself overcome with exhaustion for a brief moment. I nearly collapsed onto the ground, but I was able to steady myself.

[Tyler: 3200 LP]

"Are you a Psychic Duelist?" I asked the boy, who then looked at me like I was insane. "'Cause that effect _really_ screwed with me just now."

" _Not_ that it's any of your business, _spirit_ , but no, I'm not."

My breathing elevated, concerned as to how then this child was able to drain my energy through a card effect if he wasn't a Psychic Duelist. To me it didn't matter what he was though. My goal and reason for fighting was still the same. In fact, it probably made it more important for me to win, and with the cards I had in my hand, I was hoping to make short work of the kid.

"Well…! To start my turn, I'm gonna discard Face of the Gorgon from my hand so that I can activate Heavy Storm!" I threw the card down onto my Duel Disk as a mighty wind brewed, encircling the two of us and obliterating the two seals along the ground before dying down. "Next, I'll activate Beckon to Darkness!" I shouted, a demonic hand reaching down from the sky, grabbing Hollow Spirit and crushing it in its grip.

"Now you've done it!" the boy shouted. "With Hollow Spirit in the Graveyard, I'm allowed to Special Summon Hollow Ghost from my hand!"

"I activate the effect of Face of the Gorgon! I can remove it from my Graveyard to negate the ability of Hollow Spirit!" I shouted. Hollow Spirit reappeared on the field, before quickly turning to stone and then shattering. "And now I Summon Heka Gigantes in Attack Position!" I once again threw the card down as the four-armed monstrosity took its place on my field [ATK: 2000].

"I might not have a monster out, but if you were thinking of attacking me this turn, you won't be able to. With Mirror Prison in my Graveyard, you can't attack with any monsters you play unless you Tribute a monster of the same Type on your field."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing my Heka Gigantes has an ability." I smirked. "When he's Summoned, I'm allowed to Banish a card in your Graveyard, and you can do the same to me in return. So _I_ think I'll Banish Mirror Prison!"

The boy's eyes widened. "Fine! I Banish Heavy Storm!" he growled.

I smiled again. "Then I'll end this by equipping Megamorph to Heka Gigantes, doubling its strength!" I put down the second-last card I had in my hand onto the field, my monster growing several feet as his body crackled with energy [ATK: 4000]. "Heka Gigantes! Attack directly!"

Heka Gigantes roared before jumping high into the air and diving down, his fists colliding with the earth, the barren ground twisting and breaking apart beneath him. A shockwave pushed out in front, causing the boy to be blown back a few feet before falling flat on his back.

[?: 0 LP]

The force of my monster's attack blew the doors in as well, which I was a little perplexed as to how it happened, but also very thankful for and not bothering to think about it too much. I walked briskly, studying the boy who now seemed to be unconscious. After passing him, I broke into a run and headed inside the house. "Luna!" I called out. Although the outside of the house seemed overgrown, the inside was very well kept. I headed up one of the staircases as quickly as I could before arriving at a hallway with dozens of doors on one side, and an eerie blue light shining through the windows on the other.

I had seen Luna from a window in one of the rooms whilst outside, and so I assumed, based on the way I came, that she was at the far end. I ran to the door, reaching out for the knob as an ice-cold hand gripped my shoulder hard. I turned to see the boy, surrounded by a dark blue aura, his hand outstretched.

"You are _not_ welcome _here_!" he hissed, reaching out and grabbing my neck with his other hand, pinning me against the door. My eyes widened as I tried to get his hand away from my neck. When that failed, and me becoming more and more desperate, I reeled my right arm back and punched the kid in the face. Unfortunately, that only served to make him more agitated with me, the aura around him growing and his hold tightening even more.

Suddenly the door opened, and I felt myself fall back and out of his grip. "Haley! Stop! Don't hurt him!" a voice cried. I watched as the aura surrounding the boy, who I assumed to be Haley, suddenly faded away, and his expression turned from one of malice to emptiness.

"Claire…" Haley muttered. I turned behind me to see a young girl with blonde hair and pale skin walk toward us. I got to my feet, moving back as a more familiar voice sounded.

"Tyler!" Luna shouted, rushing into my arms. I brought my hands up, holding her to my chest as I rested my head on hers, my breathing beginning to slow.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

"I am. Thanks to you." Luna smiled, looking up at me.

"He's not going to hurt us, Haley. He can't when we're like this. He's just been trying to save and protect this girl, like how you've been protecting me. But you don't need to protect me anymore. I've been trying to tell you for so long… I'm dead, Haley… And so are you…" Claire said softly.

Tears began to form in Haley's eyes. "Claire… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…"

Claire smiled, walking over to Haley and cupping her hands in his. "You protected me as best you could. I'm just sorry that you spent your life trying to preserve mine. But it's time, Haley. We can't stay in this world any longer. It's time to move on."

Haley nodded, turning to me. "Tyler, was it? I'm so sorry what I put you through."

"It's okay." I said. "I see now that you were just trying to protect Claire. I'm sorry for punching you in the face."

Haley laughed. "I've had much worse done to me, don't worry." Haley turned back to Claire.

"Big brother, shall we go?" Claire asked.

"Wait, before you do," I started, causing Luna, Haley and Claire to turn to me. "Luna has a twin brother called Leo. He's been wandering the forest as well. Would you happen to know where he is?" I asked, causing Luna's eyes to widen.

Haley smiled. "I do. He shall be returned, along with everyone else who came into the forest. You have my word." Haley turned back to Claire, the two of them smiling at each other. To my surprise, both began to slowly drift off the floor and towards the ceiling before disappearing in a burst of golden light.

Suddenly, the entire house became cloaked in a white light and I felt Luna hold me tighter. I closed my eyes as I felt the ground below me disappear and then reappear a few seconds later.

When the light faded, Luna and I found ourselves back in the forest, but we weren't alone. Among us were many other people, mostly children, all looking around at each other in confusion. "Where are we?" Luna asked, letting go of me, but still staying close.

I looked around, before spotting my Duel Runner. "Just inside the forest." I smiled. My eyes widened, having locked onto Leo's, who had arrived with the rest. "Leo!" I called to him.

Leo looked to me, a little dazed and confused, before gasping and running towards us. "Luna, thank goodness you're alright!" he shouted, which surprised me, before he pulled Luna into a hug.

"Leo! What happened to you?" Luna asked.

"Luna, I'm sorry. I know I've been a jerk these past few days, I'm sorry. I haven't been supporting you, and I should've been doing that instead of getting angry." Leo shouted, hugging his sister tighter. "Can you ever forgive me?" he asked.

Luna nodded, before realizing that, with how close she and her brother were, he wouldn't be able to see her nod. "Y-yes, of course!"

Leo smiled as tears formed in his eyes as he then proceeded to hug Luna even tighter again.

"Leo, stop! You're hurting me now!" Luna protested, Leo finally pulling away. However, Leo then turned and hugged me, taking me by surprise.

"I'm sorry for getting angry at you as well." Leo apologized.

I patted Leo on the back. "It's okay, buddy." I assured him. I really had no idea what inspired Leo's attitude to change. I assumed he had been spirited away by Haley at some point, since he was here with us now, which meant that the stories about the phantoms were true, and that Haley and Claire, they were the phantoms. Where Leo went, I had no idea, and I wasn't prepared to ask as it didn't seem like something he wanted to talk about, which might have attributed to why he was practically begging for forgiveness from Luna.

Regardless, it seemed like Leo and Luna were both okay, and things were back to normal, for a while at least.

After Leo finished hugging me, I turned to the twins. "You guys are probably hungry, hey? How 'bout we go and get somethin' to eat?"


	8. Caught In the Storm

"So, are you happy with this decision?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, I do feel more like myself, and for me, that's the most important thing. Well, that _and_ being accepted. I feel much more accepted by Luna and Yusei and everyone than I did with Taze, you know? But I can't, um… I can't put all the blame on him. I mean, I wasn't being honest with him until after we had the fallout, and I guess by then it was just too late. I'm not complaining though, I'm… very grateful to have the friends I've got."

My psychiatrist nodded, a warm smile on his face. "I'm thrilled to hear everything's working out for you. Remember though that if you're not happy with how things are going, we can always schedule another appointment." He looked to the clock on the wall. "But as things are, this might just be our last session together. I still want you to keep taking your medication, until the prescription is done."

"I understand. Thank you so much for your help, sir. I really appreciate it." I said, getting up out of my seat and extending my hand to my psychiatrist, shaking his own for a few moments. "Are you going to the Gala tonight?" I asked.

"Uh, no. It's not really my kind of thing, but I hope you have a great time. Are you competing in the Grand Prix?"

"Honestly I don't really know at the moment. I mean, the deadline for registration is still a while away. I figured I'd just enjoy myself tonight at the Gala and think about competing another time."

"Well I wish you the best of luck if you choose to compete."

"Thank you." I smiled, nodding and then walking over to the door. I nodded once more, before opening the door and walking out.

* * *

It was around seven o'clock when I pulled up on my Duel Runner outside Yusei's place. That night, I had been asked by Crow to attend the World Racing Grand Prix Gala with Yusei and the others. The event was supposedly a formal one, but as I really didn't own any formal clothing, I stuck with my stuffy collared shirt and the best pair of pants I had.

I had met up with Yusei, Crow and Jack at Poppo Time, who were surprisingly wearing the same stuff they always wore, which made me feel a little out of place and confused as to why they weren't all wearing something more formal as Crow had advised me to, though I said nothing on the subject.

"Hey guys!" I smiled.

"Hey, Tyler!" Crow cheered as I entered the garage. "You look nice!"

"Thanks. You look the same!" I joked.

" _Really_? You're wearing _that_?" Jack asked, an eyebrow raised at my apparently poor choice in clothing.

"If you'd like to buy me a really expensive suit, Jack, be my guest." I said to him, to which Jack scoffed but said nothing. "So do you know what's gonna happen tonight?" I asked.

"Well, Akiza, Leo and Luna will be coming by to pick you up in the limo that was rented. Yusei and I will head to the event on our Duel Runners… and Jack-"

" _I_ will be arriving after all of you, because _I_ have something special organized that _I_ need to go and get _first_." Jack piped up.

"Wait, what _limo_?" I asked.

Jack sighed. "A limousine is a type of luxury car that-"

"No, I know _what_ a limousine is, Jack." I interrupted him. "I mean 'what are you talking about?'"

"Akiza's dad paid for it. He thought that she should arrive in style for the Gala, and since neither she nor the twins can ride Duel Runners, they thought it would be a good idea for them to go together. Luna insisted that you ride with them, so they're on their way here to pick you up." Crow explained.

"Oh, okay cool. I'll just leave my Runner parked outside then?"

"You _might_ wanna take your deck though. This _is_ a Duel Monsters thing we're going to after all." He said.

"Yeah, true." I shrugged, looking over at Yusei, who hadn't said anything yet, and was staring down at the ground, his gaze almost aimless. "Yusei?" I asked, causing him to quickly glance up at me. "You alright?"

Yusei didn't answer, and instead continued to look back down at the ground.

It was the first time I had seen or even spoken to Yusei since he went back to the Satellite a couple of weeks ago.

"Don't take it personally, Tyler…" Crow whispered. "He's been like this ever since he came back from the Satellite. Something's happened, but we don't know what. He won't say." Crow started to speak again, but was cut off by the sound of a beeping horn from outside. "Well, uh… That's probably your cue, Tyler."

"Alright, I'll see you guys there." I smiled.

I made my way outside, where I saw a limousine had pulled up beside the building. The window slowly pulled down, revealing Akiza, Leo and Luna to be sitting in the back.

"Hey, Tyler. You ready?" Luna asked. I nodded as she opened the door for me to get in.

"Yep. I'll just get my deck." I said, moving to retrieve my deck from my Duel Runner before getting into the limo, sitting down next to Luna and closing the door. "Thanks for coming to get me." I smiled, looking to the three of them. Akiza had her hair let completely down, and wore an absolutely stunning dress, positioned in a way which, either intentionally or otherwise, showed off a good amount of cleavage. Luna wore a similar outfit to the one she wore when the two of us went to Treetop, though her shoes were brown. Leo wore a dark blue tuxedo and similar shoes to Luna.

Akiza raised her hand, and I fell back against the seat as the limo started moving. I looked to the sides of where I was sitting, surprised by the absence of seatbelts.

"Everything alright?" Luna asked softly.

"I'm a little bit nervous, to tell you the truth." I sighed. "This is my first… you know… _social_ outing."

Luna looked at me with great concern, as she was the only one who knew what was really going on with me. Akiza and Leo just looked confused by my statement.

Leo piped up. "Don't worry, Tyler. Crow's still a little confused as to why we're even going. He said that there's no point in us coming along, since we can't ride Duel Runners and we're not _actually_ participating."

"Leo, he didn't say that." Luna objected.

"What? Sure he did! He said-"

"Let's not start this again…" Akiza interrupted. Leo sighed, the four of us sitting in silence. I decided to take the opportunity and speak up again.

"Look, while we're all here, I just wanna say to you guys… I really appreciate that we're all friends. Akiza, please thank your father for me when you see him. This is really nice." I turned to Luna, who was sitting beside me. "And Luna, I'm flattered you wanted me to ride with you." I winked.

* * *

I took a deep breath before I slowly walked down the steps of the event hall, keeping my eyes firmly on my feet with each step until I reached the bottom. I exhaled, looking up at the sheer number of other people, who I assumed the majority of were contestants, in the main room. Most of them talking, some of them drinking, and a great deal of them dressed in formal clothing.

For that night, I had one and only one objective to follow: try not to embarrass myself.

"The World Racing Grand Prix Gala!" Leo cheered. "This is amazing! Even better than I expected!" Leo sprinted to different corners of the room, quickly taking in the sights, causing Luna to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Not in public, Leo…" she cringed.

It was safe to say that Leo was back to his old self.

"I'm still a little confused why you guys decided to come, no offense." Crow said, looking to Akiza and Leo in particular as the six of us started walking around the event hall.

"Well… um…" Akiza mumbled, before looking at Yusei. Crow looked at Yusei too, before sighing.

"I'm sorry." Crow apologized. "Things have been really intense lately, so maybe all of us being here together will help take our mind off things."

"I guess…" Akiza muttered.

I looked around. All the food that had been laid out seemed to be very messy, in terms of eating it, so I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be eating, just in case I spilt something on myself.

The rest of the group stopped walking, and so I did as well.

To myself, I wondered why we had stopped, and then I saw Carly. She was taking photographs of a few guys, one of whom had really pointy, maybe brown, maybe dark red, hair. When she saw us, her attention immediately faltered. "Hey guys! Over here!" Carly waved as she ran over to us, camera in hand.

"Hey, Carly…" Crow said with a minimal amount of enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

"What else? I'm doing a story. After all, this is like, _the_ premiere Duel event of the season! The whole city has been looking forward to it!" Carly sighed ecstatically. "Just look around! All of the world's best Dueling teams are here! Team Unicorn, Team Lightning, Team Mantis, Team Oz! And I'm gonna do a report on _all_ of them!" Carly pointed to each of the teams, and when her finger stopped on Team Oz, my eyes widened. Because there, standing with Team Oz, was Joel, my stepbrother.

"Holy crap…" I muttered.

"I know, right?" Carly sighed. "I _am_ gonna have my work cut out for me, but it'll _definitely_ be worth it."

"No, it's… It's…" I trailed off. "Be back in a sec…" Before I knew it, I was making my way over to Joel, who was busy talking to, who I assumed were his teammates. Unfortunately for me, I caught him at the end of a _very_ weird conversation with one of them.

"…I mean, he was freaked out by the question. I just wanted to know how he was able to keep it so big while being flaccid, 'cause seriously, if that thing was erect, it'd do damage. Anyway-"

"J-Joel?" I asked quietly as he turned to me, his eyes widening as he took a step back.

_My_ eyes widened in response. The last time I had seen Joel was just before I went with Yusei and the others to Rex Goodwin's Mansion. So much had happened since then, and I wondered if Joel had been in contact with my mother. After all, she probably had her own recollection of the events that happened and the conversation she and I had, not that I really cared about her at all. I was just a little worried that Joel mightn't have wanted to see me.

My muscles tensed just as Joel's expression began to change.

"Tyler! Bro, it's been so long!" he shouted, giving me a quick hug. "Dude, I'm so sorry about what happened with mom. As soon as I heard what happened, I left straight away. I wanted to call you, but I didn't have your number saved into my phone. I tried to track you down, but I couldn't find you anywhere. And then Taze called a few days later, said that he found you and you were okay, and that you had an apartment and everything. Now, I don't like Taze at all, but I'm happy that you found him. Oh, I forgot to ask, have you still got amnesia?"

I blinked a few times, taken aback by Joel's unloading of information. "Yeah, I haven't remembered anything really, but that doesn't matter. And you don't need to be sorry about mom either. I couldn't give a shit about her to be honest." I motioned to the two guys he was standing near. "Are you with these guys?"

Joel turned back to them, before turning around to me. "Oh, no. We were just talking." Joel faced the two guys. "You guys can leave now." Joel instructed. One of the guys shrugged, the other mumbling something under his breath as the two of them walked off. "Anyway, what's going on with you and Taze? Did you guys come together or-"

"Um, if it's alright with you, can we not mention Taze, please?" I interrupted.

"Why?" Joel asked softly. "What happened?"

"It's… just something that I don't wanna talk about, okay?" I sighed.

"Okay, well you're probably gonna have to talk to him soon."

"Oh yeah?" I jested. "When would _that_ be?"

"In about fifteen seconds. He's walking over here." Joel said, nudging to the side. My eyes widened as I saw Taze walking towards me, a smile on his face, his hand intertwined with a girl's, who walked beside him.

"Oh fuck…" I whispered. "Taze!" I greeted once he had made his way over. "What _are_ you doing here?" I asked, my tone of voice making it entirely obvious to everyone that I didn't really care. "I mean, _surely_ _you're_ not here because of the tournament. You _hate_ Duel Monsters."

Taze smiled at me with a big shit-eating grin. "It's true. I'm not a fan of Duel Monsters. _I'm_ actually here for another reason. I didn't know _you'd_ be here though. This _really_ _is_ a _pleasant_ surprise."

"I _bet_ it is." I smiled right back.

"Oh, how _rude_ of me! Allow me to introduce Rayna Kaiho." Taze said, motioning to the girl standing beside him.

The girl smiled at Joel and I. From her looks I assumed her to be around the same age as Taze and I, and I was quite intrigued by the amount of time it must've taken her to have her hair styled the way it was. It was a pinkish sort of color, and was tied with two bows at the sides of her head, making her hair loop around and down. "I'm _sure_ you've heard of me. I'm a Musical Duel star, and I've been singing pop music professionally for the last three years."

"I've never heard of you." I said honestly.

"Maybe if you didn't have amnesia, you'd know who she is, _and_ R.E.M." Taze stated.

"Alright, faggot, listen up." Joel interjected. "I think it's _hilarious_ that you're here with a date even though it's plainly obvious that you're gayer than Maximillion Pegasus, and you're obviously butthurt by whatever happened between you and Tyler. You came over here, so don't start talking shit unless you wanna get your teeth knocked out. My advice: fuck off. Go do whatever it is you came here for, and then leave. Don't talk to us, and don't bring some floozy over and act like you're better than us."

" _Floozy_?" Rayna asked. "Why don't you say that again? I don't think I heard you the first time." She said, getting in Joel's face.

Joel folded his arms. "I get it. You're trying to act all tough 'cause I can't hit you 'cause you're a girl, right? How old are you, sweetheart?"

"What's going on here?" Crow asked. I fidgeted, turning to see Crow, Akiza, Carly, Leo and Luna standing behind us.

"I could ask the same thing." Taze smiled, looking over behind me.

"Nothing's happening." Joel said. He looked at Crow. "Oh, hi. I don't think we've met. Joel Bānzu. I'm Tyler's stepbrother."

"Crow Hogan." He introduced, the two shaking hands. Crow turned to me. "You never told me you had a stepbrother."

"Oh, I thought you were there when we last met him. My bad." I sighed.

"So these are your friends…" Taze mulled. "Do they know that you're a pill-popping lunatic who visits a psychiatrist every week because you're screwed in the head and tried to commit suicide by throwing yourself off a building?" he asked. Suddenly, the room got much hotter, the air much thicker. Taze put a hand to his mouth. "Sorry." He feigned an apology. "Was that _still_ _private_? I figured that they would've known, you know, seeing as they're your friends and everything. Or maybe you just didn't want them to know that you're a drug-addicted, suicidal retard because you knew that if they saw you for who you really were, they wouldn't be your friends anymore."

I felt sick, like I was going to throw up. I wanted the ground to open up beneath me and swallow me whole. It didn't.

"Well… I'm gonna go. Leave you to pick up these pieces. I _do_ hope you'll stay though. We're playing a gig here tonight, and it's gonna be something _really_ special." Taze smiled again. "See ya later, Tyler."

"See you at school, Akiza." Rayna waved to her, before quickly following Taze as the two of them walked off.

I didn't need to look at anyone to know that they were all staring at me, judging me. A lump rose in my throat, my voice dry and crackly. "I-I-I…" I sighed, angry at my inability to get any words out. "I-I'm gonna go… home now, guys." I turned to Joel. "Joel, it was nice seeing you again."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, hold on!" Joel said, reaching out and gripping my arm to prevent me from leaving. "Is what Taze said true? Did you really attempt suicide?"

I started shaking. "I'm not having this conversation right now. Please just let me go…! I… I want to go home…" I breathed, though my tone probably came across as a low whine.

"Answer me!" Joel demanded, his stare piercing my eyes.

"Akiza…!" Leo whispered, but he was still rather loud. "What's 'committing suicide'?"

"It means Tyler tried to kill himself." Akiza explained.

"What?!" Leo shouted, turning to me. "That's stupid! Why would you do that?!"

"Leo!" Luna yelled, seemingly more offended than I was. She looked to me, and I knew she could tell that I was struggling. "You don't understand! H-his mom, she… Look, Tyler knows that what he did wasn't the best choice to make, but how would you feel if our parents said they didn't want to see us anymore? Imagine how Tyler must've been feeling, especially along with everything else we had all gone through!"

"Wait, what are you saying?" Joel asked.

"Luna, did you know about this?!" Akiza questioned.

"Um…" Luna stumbled, looking away. Akiza's eyes widened.

"I don't believe it! You knew! And you didn't tell us?!" She shouted.

"Hey! _Don't_ bring Luna into this!" I snapped, ripping my arm from Joel's grip. "I didn't _want_ her to tell anyone! But you know what? I'll tell you this now: Luna was the one to stop me. She talked me out of it, okay? So if you're going to be angry at _anyone_ , it's me. But _Luna_ … She is the _best_ person I know, and you have _no_ right being angry at her." I straightened myself up before speaking again. "Oh, and for the record, if I still wanted to kill myself, I could have. I've had _plenty_ of opportunities to do it over the past, what, _seven_ months now?"

The shocked, and somewhat irritated expressions on the group's faces made me rethink my choice of words.

"I'm not saying I'm going to! I'm saying I could have if I wanted to, and I obviously haven't, so there's nothing to worry about!" I tried to assure them.

"You can say that, but how do we know that's true?" Joel asked.

"Because I've been taking _these_ _fucking_ _things_!" I shouted, reaching into my pockets and ripping out the bottle of pills and shoving it in Joel's face. "You know what these are?! _These_ are what I've been prescribed to take by the _psychiatrist_ that I've been seeing! You think I don't _know_ how messed up I am?! I'm _well_ _aware_!" I shook my head furiously, my throat hoarse from the yelling I'd been doing. "I-I-I-I-I'm sorry!" I stammered. "I-I-I've got-I've got to go… I-I-I-I just… I-I can't deal with this anymore…"

I broke into a run, getting as far away from everyone else as I could. I didn't care how much of a scene I had inevitably created, I just had to leave. I ran up the steps and out of where I'd come in from, making my way outside. I started running again, unfortunately tripping over a crack, or shift, in the pavement and skidding briefly across the concrete, tearing my pants and ripping apart the skin at my knees, blood running down my legs.

I collapsed onto the ground completely, accepting defeat as I just rested against the ground in silence, my only company the fluorescent lights shining down on me from the signs above the event hall, and the slight stinging sensation of blood running from my open cuts. I closed my eyes as I forced my breathing to slow, even though my heart was going ten to the dozen.

I could hear the sound of high heels tapping against the ground at a solid pace. I opened my eyes to find the fluorescent light blocked by a shadow from a person looking down at me with concern.

"Hey…" the woman spoke softly.

I turned immediately, sitting up. "Seria… What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh my…!" Seria's eyes widened as she noticed the blood on my legs. "Let's get you cleaned up." she said, bringing the Birkin bag she was holding down to the ground as she opened it, retrieving a bandage as she got down on her knees and started padding the area, and then wrapping it around my left leg. She then proceeded to do the same to my other leg with another bandage from her bag. I just stayed silent, my body jerking every so often as my diaphragm continued its spasm. "I saw what happened between you and your, um… friend. Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as she finished up.

"Not really…" I muttered. The rest of my body started shaking again, and then I broke. "I'm such a mess…" I told her, tears forming and then running down my face. Seria's expression softened, a soft coo coming from her as she sat down beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "I thought I was okay now," I admitted. "But I'm still the same fucked up person I was, that I've always been since… since the Arcadia Movement…! Taze hasn't changed me. The pills haven't changed me. And I want to change so badly… What… What can I do?" I asked, looking at her.

Seria reached into the breast pocket of her blazer and pulled out a handkerchief. "You can start by wiping those tears away."

"Right…" I mumbled, taking the handkerchief and cleaning my face with it. "Thank you…"

"What you can't be, is someone who hates who he is, or someone who takes for granted everything he has, even the little things." Seria smiled. "You've got a really great group of friends in there, who just want to support you. And they don't know what you've gone through, or what you're thinking. Only you know that. But they can't help you if they don't know. The choice is yours, but… if it were _me_ , I'd tell them exactly what happened, and maybe they'll understand then why you did what you did."

"Oh no-no-no-no-no." I whimpered. "I made an absolute ass of myself, I can't go back in there now."

"Yes you can." Seria whispered. "You need to. For them and for yourself. If you keep running, or freaking out every time something bad happens, how are you ever going to cope with anything?"

I sighed. Seria had a point. Medication or not, I was _terrible_ at coping with anything. Even small things threw me off so easily, which other people would just take with a grain of salt. I knew that I wouldn't just wake up one day and be a different person, it would take time, and effort, for me to change. But I didn't have to do any of it alone, so long as I was honest with myself, and the people who cared about me.

"You're right…" I said, getting to my feet. "What can I say? You're right." I extended my arm to help Seria to her feet, which she took.

"So are you gonna come back in with me?" she asked.

"Yeah…" I smiled, the two of us walking hand in hand back inside the event hall.

"How are your legs feeling?" Seria asked.

"They still sting a little, and I'm gonna have to get a new pair of pants but… I'm fine. Thanks." I walked down the steps at a much slower rate than before, but I did feel a bit better with Seria by my side.

The Gala seemed to be in full swing now. Everybody was either engaged in conversation, eating the catered food, or sitting down and Dueling or trading cards at a nearby table. I could also hear Taze's voice come through the loudspeaker as he continued to test the microphones on the stage right on the other side of the hall.

I caught sight of everyone, including Jack who had arrived wearing a very nice and probably custom-tailored suit, situated near the tables eating and chatting with each other. I couldn't see Yusei anywhere, but Joel was still around for whatever reason.

I cautiously walked up to the group, Seria standing back as my heart started racing. I wouldn't have blamed them if they told me straight up that they didn't want to talk to me anymore, but I had to at least try and not only apologize for how I acted, but also try and make them understand how I was feeling, if they were willing to listen.

"Hey…" I muttered. Leo stopped eating and looked towards me, Carly stopped fiddling with her camera, and Joel stopped drinking whatever he had in his hand. Jack, Crow and Akiza stopped talking, the latter looking to me, with Jack seeming to show disinterest, and I wasn't sure if anyone had told him what went down before.

"Tyler!" Luna shouted, rushing over to me and giving me a hug. "I'm glad you came back!" Luna smiled, holding me tighter.

"Me too…" I looked down at her and smiled. Luna pulled away and I sighed lengthily, looking to the rest of the group. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "I don't want to keep secrets from you guys, and… I need to learn how to be more open and accepting of what's happened and where I'm at. If you'll let me, and if you want me to, I can explain… what happened…"

The group was silent, until Joel stepped forward.

"Yeah, okay. Go ahead." he said.

I took a deep breath, taking a moment to think about what I was going to say, and how I was going to say it. "It was right after the Dark Signers when, um, Leo and Luna invited me to stay at their place for the night. I decided that I'd call my mom. Now I'd had this idea in my head since we were in Rex Goodwin's Mansion. Akiza, everyone, you know how I can talk to Duel Spirits. And Joel, you know how I summoned Explosivo in our Duel. Well he actually called out to me… and told me that, um, my getting amnesia was, more or less, planned. As you can imagine I was… pretty pissed to hear that. But he promised me that I would be accepted back into my family with open arms. Anyway, so, I, um, I had this idea, I was obviously very hopeful. Um, I would call my mom and, uh, tell her everything that happened, and hoped that, because of what Explosivo said, you know, she'd be understanding and… well…"

I paused.

"…Is that it?" Joel asked.

My eyes widened. "Oh, no. I was just taking a break so that my explanation here would be easier to follow. Anyway, that wasn't the case, as Joel knows. I could barely get a word out during our conversation, and before I knew it, it was over. Explosivo appeared again, and told me that… he had no idea about what would happen and what they would do. I was angrier at Explosivo for lying to me, than I was at my mom not wanting anything to do with me. I mean, I understand why Explosivo lied. I had to help you guys against the Dark Signers, and I probably wouldn't have been able to do anything if I was wallowing in self-pity and knowing that, after everything was said and done, I'd have nowhere to go. Of course, then I didn't think I had anywhere else to go, you know? I was, I was _screwed_. And… I gave up. I-I felt so alone, and… and just worthless. So I just decided, I was gonna do it. I was gonna jump."

Jack, Crow and Carly looked at me with confusion, empathy and disbelief respectively, Leo looked at me wide-eyed, while Joel and Akiza seemed to be silently urging me to continue.

"So I walked out into the, uh, the pool area, and got up on the ledge. And there's like, a _huge_ gap between the penthouse where I was standing, and the street underneath me, so I figured… that would be it. I was so close to death, and although there was still, I think, this little part of me saying 'you know that you shouldn't do this', every other part of me was saying 'just do it. No one cares about you'. What I failed to realize was that… There _was_ someone who cared about me. And… she found me, held onto me, and begged me not to go… So how could I go…?"

"Tyler…" Luna whispered, her voice uneasy. I turned my attention to her, watching tears run down her cheeks as she sniffed. She rushed into my arms again as I held her against me, feeling her body shake. Luna knew most of, if not everything, that I had just explained to everybody else already, so I was a little taken back by her sudden breakdown. Perhaps by bringing up what happened, I was also bringing up, for Luna, the emotions of that time, a time that I'm sure she would've rather forgot. In retrospect, I recognized that perhaps my explanation of what happened and what I was thinking was a little too heavy to have talked about in front of the twins, but I couldn't go back on what I said now. It was out there.

I looked down at Luna, before facing the rest of the group again. "I realized that, of course, I would never get back everything I lost, and suddenly that didn't matter to me. I was really lucky, because I had met these truly _amazing_ people who had accepted me, flaws and all, and made me feel welcome. Even though I felt alone, I wasn't. And that was enough for me." I smiled. "You guys… are my family."

I wasn't sure how my words came across to Akiza or the others, but I sincerely hoped that, having explained myself, they would understand and they wouldn't think any less of me. The latter to me _did_ seem like it was too much to hope for though.

Akiza smiled slightly as she closed her eyes, running her gloved hands through her hair. Leo looked to Luna, who looked to me, and I briefly smiled at her. Jack shook his head, but started chuckling to himself. Crow seemed to be going over what I had said in his head, while Carly just seemed frozen, not that I was really concerned about what she thought of me, as my explanation was more for everyone else.

I turned to Joel, and my heart sank as he walked off in silence.

* * *

We had moved our group to the other side of the hall, as there was a bar set up on that side. The bar was also near the stage that had been set up for Taze's performance, which is why I was interested in going over. He was talking with Rayna and some other guy who was sitting behind a drum kit.

I sat on a stool at the bar, thumbing a glass of water in one hand, my bottle of pills in the other. I sighed.

I hadn't really spoken to anyone since my little speech earlier on. They might've not known what to say, or they might've just been trying to give me some space. Truthfully, I didn't even know what to say anymore, or if what I did was even the right thing to do. I wasn't really making any effort to be included in the group's goings-on for the moment either.

I jerked as I felt two hands clamp around my shoulders either side. Joel started laughing, probably at my reaction, as he sat down on a stool next to me.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist." He admitted as I slumped back against the stool, sighing. Joel sat down beside me.

"Where's Jack?" I asked. "I never got to tell him how awesome his suit looked."

"He got a little upset that Crow was, uh, well he seemed to be fawning over Team Unicorn earlier, and so Carly went off with Jack to fuck him… I'm assuming."

"Good to know…" I said, slipping my pills away as I moved forward in my seat. "I thought you left." I said bluntly.

"I did."

"Why'd you come back?" I asked. Joel placed a bit of paper in front of me. I picked it up. "What's this?"

"It's a _check_."

"It's blank." I noted.

Joel nodded. "Write down any amount on there, and I'll pay it."

My eyes shot out, and I turned to my stepbrother. "…Are you serious?"

Joel sighed. "Okay, well, within reason. I'm not _made_ of money. Look… I know you probably don't want money from me, 'cause then it would seem like I'm pitying you, but I get that it's hard and… _I'm_ part of that reason and… if you can't take money from your family, who can you take it from?" Joel looked behind him and then turned back to me as I smiled, touched by his gesture. "Well… I'm gonna go do some pot, and then try hitting on that MILF you came back in with earlier."

"What? _Seria_?"

"That her name? Cool. You know if she's seeing anyone?"

"No idea."

"Well I'm gonna find out! Wish me luck!" he said, patting me on the back as he swiveled out of his seat and walked towards the toilets with confidence. My eyes followed him as I tried to figure out how Joel could be so sentimental and generous in one moment, and then so bold and unfiltered in the next.

"Tyler," Luna spoke, making me almost jump out of my skin. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She said innocently.

"Luna… How much of that did you hear?" I asked, turning to her.

"How much of what?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just… Joel was saying stuff, i-inappropriate… stuff… I'm sorry for swearing before as well. What's up?"

"…I just wanted to see how you were." Luna said.

"I'm fine." I smiled. "But listen, I should have never expected you to keep everything a secret, and I'm terribly sorry to have put you in that position." I apologized. "I shouldn't have been putting all that pressure on you."

"That's okay. I'm just glad that it's out in the open now, as in, you don't have to hide it, or pretend like it never happened. Does that make sense?"

I nodded. "I don't want it to define me though. It was a stupid decision…" I mumbled. "How's everyone else?" I asked a little bit half-heartedly, worried about the answer.

"Leo's a little confused, but that might just be because he's tired. Crow had no idea, but he's just glad you're okay. Akiza's the same way, but… I think she might be hurt that I was the only one who knew."

I nodded once more. "I get that. I just didn't want to worry anyone." I felt my voice get deeper and lose its tone as I finished talking. I turned to Luna. "What about you?"

"…I-I'm good. Thanks for sticking up for me by the way." Luna smiled.

"My pleasure." I flinched as the high-pitched squeal of an electric guitar came through the speakers. I turned to the stage. "Looks like Taze is about to start playing."

"Oh… Do you want to go home then?" Luna asked.

"Nah. I mean, I already missed the opening, right? If I miss Taze's performance, then it's like there was almost no point in me coming. Well, aside from… you know…" I sighed. "What I mean is, when I look back on tonight, all I'm gonna remember is how I came clean about… _this_ …" I said, motioning to myself. "And while that's definitely good in its own way… I was really hoping that tonight I could just, sort of, relax. I can't really remember the last time I had a stress-free moment, just to chill out. I think listening to music might help might help with that."

"But, um… Leo told me that you had a fight with Taze at Yusei's place the day that Sly… um…" Luna trailed off. It was obvious to me that Luna was still a little upset over what happened. I frowned, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder.

"Don't worry about Sly anymore, Luna." I smiled. "He's not worth thinking about anymore. Besides, you've still got Yusei, Akiza, Leo, me. Same thing with me and Taze, right? If I've got you, then I don't need him, do I?" I smiled, nudging Luna softly on the shoulder. "Still…" I mulled, "I would like to hear him play live – see how good he is without me." I swung out of my seat and reached a hand out for Luna's. "Wanna watch with me?" I asked, Luna nodding quickly as she took my hand, the two of us walking over to the stage where a small crowd had gathered. "Hey, um, where _is_ Yusei, by the way? I haven't seen him since we arrived."

"I don't know. I think I last saw him talking with some of the other teams. He, um… He wasn't around when you left before, or when you told everyone else what happened. Should… should he know…?" Luna mumbled.

"I'll tell him when the situation comes up. Jack or Crow will probably tell him when they see him anyway…" I said. I watched Taze fumble around on stage for a few moments, and from the periphery of my vision, I saw Luna staring at me as a red color crept onto her face. "You okay?" I asked, turning to her.

"You're a lot better now, aren't you?" Luna muttered. "I mean, I… I can see it… It's like this weight has been lifted from you…"

"Well I don't know about that." I said softly. "It seems like every time I think it's all gonna be okay, something happens and then I'm right back to where I started."

Luna shook her head. "I don't think that's true. When I… When I look at you, Tyler… I…" she stopped, turning away as her blush returned.

The sound of footsteps caused me to turn behind me as I watched Joel approach, but there was something different about him. His eyes were closed slightly, and both his sclera were a dark pink.

"Hope I'm not _interrupting_ anything…" Joel teased.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Your eyes look a little weird. I mean, mine were a little pink before because I'd been crying. You haven't been crying have you?"

"Dude. I just did, like, a shitload of cones. I'm serious. Like, I did one cone at first, so I could get, like, more boss and shit, and then I went and hit on the MILF, but then I struck out and I was upset, but _then_ I did five more, and now I'm like…" Joel trailed off.

"Well at least for now, do you mind trying not to swear, and not talk about drugs and stuff? I mean, Luna's kinda on the other side of me, and she can hear you."

Joel's eyes widened, before looking at Luna. "Right! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" he apologized profusely before shushing himself, a finger against his lips.

"Have you seen Yusei?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's with, um, what's his name…?" Joel asked, his face looking as if it was frozen, before he spoke again. "Crow… talking to… Team Unicycle… or something… Anyway, I just came over to… …watch the train wreck… Why are you stickin' it out with Taze…? Especially after he just blurted all that crap out."

"Just 'cause I hate Taze more than I hate Sayer doesn't mean I don't wanna listen to his music. He's a good musician, just a terrible person."

"Hey, just like The Black Keys. They're terrible people."

"What?"

"Nothing…"

Taze weakly strummed a couple of times on his guitar, moving his left hand about before tapping the mic on the stand in front of him. "Hey, uh, thanks for staying for our show. Just want to give a quick shout-out to the Public Security Bureau for pulling off this awesome night and allowing us to play here." Taze strummed his guitar once more. "Hope you guys have a good time. Okay, here we go…"

The sound of a motor.

A crash.

A thud.

It all happened too quickly for me to react, and I only visually processed the last few seconds of it. That's perhaps what scared me the most.

A brown Duel Runner flew overhead, soaring above the ground before colliding with the stage, and Taze's body. The stage started to fall apart immediately, both Rayna and the drummer were able to get off before it collapsed and got out of harm's way for the moment, but Taze was pinned under the right side of the back wheel of the Runner, his face forced against it as blood started trickling from his body.

Luna turned away, burying her head against my chest. My eyes widened and I started shaking, an uneasy groan escaping my lips.

Foolishly I tried to convince myself that what had happened really didn't. Whether that was because I didn't _want_ it to happen, or because I found it almost impossible that it _did_ happen was debatable. I couldn't deny it though. It was staring me right in the face.

Taze was dead.

The man on the Duel Runner laughed wildly before turning to face a few of the partygoers. "All of you, gathering here together and having fun… You make me sick, you know that? Turbo Duels being displayed how they are. It was bad enough with the Fortune Cup when we had someone from the Satellite competing, but now all these damn foreigners too? This city and its image are just a big joke now!"

My eyes struggled to deviate from Taze's lifeless husk. I tried to pay attention to the man and the fact that his Duel Runner towered over us, but I only managed a few short glances upward.

"Is this real life? Is this really happening right now, or am I just totally off my face?" Joel asked himself out loud before tapping me quickly and roughly on the shoulder.

"You're not imagining things." I heard Carly's voice from behind where Joel was standing. "That's Dobocle Bokuru."

"Restrain him!" a voice echoed through the hall as Public Security Officers seemingly came out of nowhere and surrounded Dobocle. Two officers stopped in front of Luna and myself, arms outstretched and obscuring my view of Taze's body for a moment.

My former friend's carcass rolled out from under the Duel Runner as Dobocle pushed forward, ramming into an officer and taking him down as well. As much as I didn't want to look, I couldn't keep my eyes from Taze's corpse. I knew then that his emotionless and bloodied expression would be one permanently etched into my mind.

"Tyler…" Luna mumbled, her voice just barely breaking through to me. My eyes widened, and I reminded myself that now was not the time to grieve.

"Stay with me, okay? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." I told Luna, wrapping an arm around her as the whole place seemed to erupt into chaos. Dobocle just knocked down everything in his way. Chairs, tables, _people_. He didn't care.

I turned, gripping Luna's wrist as I led her back the way we came in, as far away from the violence as possible. I kept at a pace which I was sure she could match, and the two of us eventually made it right to the other side of the hall, near the emergency exit there.

"Wait… Where's Leo?" Luna asked, panicking as she looked to me. The two of us had stopped, now mostly out of harm's way, though I was extremely pissed at myself for not keeping a closer eye on Leo. He hadn't come over with Luna, Joel or Carly, and I honestly had no idea where he was, or if he was even okay.

"Luna!" I heard Leo's voice call out to her. We both turned to see Leo and Joel rush up to us as Leo nearly tackled Luna with a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Leo!" Luna hugged her twin brother back.

"You know, we were, like, right behind you." Joel said. "Leo was walking over just as the dude crashed through the place."

"What about Akiza? And Crow, Yusei, everyone?" I asked.

Joel shrugged. "Dunno."

The screeching of Dobocle's Duel Runner was silenced as more glass shattered. The four of us turned as the whole atmosphere of the place changed, silence gripping the hall.

"I'm not in the mood to run back." Joel said. "You guys run, I'll just walk briskly." He motioned.

Leo, Luna and I looked to each other, shrugged, and made our way back over to the other side of the hall at a healthy click. My eyes widened as I saw Akiza backed by her Black Rose Dragon, Dobocle and his Duel Runner having crashed through another window. In mere moments, another group of officers had swarmed around Dobocle, but Dobocle quickly got back on his Duel Runner and sped off into the night, some of the Public Security officers trailing after him. The remaining officers went back inside the building to deal with the commotion that had arisen from the whole incident.

I ran up to Akiza, and was soon followed by Leo and Luna. "Akiza, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She sighed, retrieving her Black Rose Dragon card as the Signer Dragon disappeared.

* * *

I watched Taze's body get wheeled away.

He was one of the small number who lost their lives in the unfortunate tragedy, though his death was definitely the most gruesome.

Everyone at the Gala seemed to be shaken by what had happened. Public Security officers were busy tending to the injured, and other competitors who escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises were assisting where needed as well. Jack was being interviewed by some reporters, Akiza, Yusei, and Crow were being questioned by officers, and Seria was sitting with me as she applied a new set of bandages in place of the old ones. The small silver lining I found was that Dobocle's interruption had completely overshadowed my outburst, which admittedly was a terrible way for me to have been thinking.

I sighed, looking over at where the stage was, now completely destroyed and restricted by a line of tape. I winced as Seria placed a hand on my leg.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think that would hurt." She apologized.

"No, it's… I was just… thinkin' about stuff…" I sighed once more, and Seria looked away.

"…So I met your brother…" Seria smiled, returning to look up at me.

" _Stepbrother_." I noted. A moment of silence went by, and I averted my eyes from hers. "I'm sorry he hit on you."

"Oh no, it's fine, really." Seria assured me. "He was actually quite charming. Not really my type though, and I would recommend to him that he refrains from consuming Cannabis in a public place like this." More silence, Seria's expression fading quickly. "I'm… I'm so sorry about… your friend-"

"Please," I cut Seria off, not wanting her to say anything more. I was sure she could tell I didn't want to talk about him. "This entire day has just been…" I trailed off, closing my eyes. "A stressful, emotional…" I stopped, shaking my head as I bit my lip. "I think now is the perfect time for me to head on home, before any other crap happens."

Seria nodded slowly. "Okay. How did you get here? Did you get dropped off? Did you-"

"I came in a limo with Akiza and the twins." I said, opening my eyes. "I have… no idea what's going on with that, if another one's coming to pick us up, or when, if Akiza has to call, no idea."

Seria looked around. "Well by the looks of things, Akiza's almost done talking with Officer Gantry about what happened, and those two," Seria smiled, directing my attention to the twins, who looked to be fighting off sleep next to each other "look like they're ready to go home too."

I smiled at the twins, for about a second, and then I remembered everything that happened and how much they'd gone through in the one night alone. It was my fault. I knew that much. Granted, I wasn't the one who gatecrashed a party and killed a bunch of people, but I definitely wasn't a saint either. It wasn't just about me. Leo, Luna and everyone else deserved a moment to relax and unwind, and I, yet again, turned the whole thing into a public display showing how unstable I was.

The twins at the very least deserved a good night's sleep.

I walked over to the twins, bending down. "Leo… Luna…" I cooed. Their eyelids flickered, and I took that to mean they were both still semi-awake. "You guys want to go home?"

Luna groaned, opening her eyes partway. "Yes, please…" she mumbled, before closing her eyes again.

"Are you able to walk?" I asked softly. "Or do you need a hand getting up?"

"Can you carry me, please…?" Luna muttered.

A smile slowly formed on my face. "Sure…" I whispered, reaching underneath her, and lifting her up from the floor. Luna wrapped her arms around my neck as I looked down at Leo. "Need help there?" I asked him.

He sighed, which quickly turned into a yawn. "No… No, I'm getting up…" he grumbled, groggily getting to his feet. We walked back over to Seria, who had since been joined by Akiza and Joel.

"Public Security is not letting anyone come into the event hall, so we can't get picked up." Akiza explained.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It's a safety precaution, I hear." Seria said. "You're free to leave, it's just that I think the officers don't want any new people coming into the building. I'm happy to take you and twins home if you'd like."

"That would be great. Thanks, Seria." I smiled.

"What about you, Akiza? Do you need a lift home?" Seria asked.

"Oh, no. Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. Crow's taking me home." Akiza stated.

My eyes veered away, and I licked my lips, silently wondering why Yusei wasn't going to take Akiza home, though I didn't ask.

"Yeah, I think I might as well head home too…" Joel sighed.

Seria turned to my stepbrother. "In your state, I would _very_ much recommend using the auto pilot." She warned. "Unless you'd like to get fined or lose your license."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya…" Joel mumbled. "Hey," Joel faced me, reaching into his left pocket and slipping a bit of paper into my right pocket, as my hands were full carrying Luna, who had seemingly fallen asleep in my arms. "That's got my address and stuff on it. Come over sometime, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Joel turned to Seria. "Bye, gorgeous." He teased, before walking off.

"Sorry…" I whispered to her.

"It's alright." Seria assured me. "My car's down in bay parking. C'mon, let's go."

"Yay…" Leo groaned unenthusiastically, obviously using all of his willpower to stay awake.

I turned to Akiza, half-expecting her to say something in regards to what had went on during the evening, but she didn't. I looked away, and then started walking off with Seria and Leo in front of me.

I looked down at Luna, a beautifully serene expression on her face as she slept peacefully.

I smiled, holding her a little tighter as I picked up the pace to catch up with Leo and Seria.


	9. Everybody Hurts

The ground shook beneath my feet as thunder roared, a bone-chilling feeling washing over me. Yellow lighting struck the trees, and one by one, they started to fall. My body shook as each tree hit the cold, fractured earth. Even though I knew it was coming, and I could brace myself accordingly each time it happened, my body would still jerk in fear. Regardless, I kept walking, paying little mind to the trees as I was generally safe so long as I kept moving forward.

I had almost reached the end of the path. I could see a fork in the road up ahead. I picked up the pace. The only thing on my mind, the most important thing _I_ felt, was to get out of the Hellish forest I had wandered into.

My eyes locked onto a wooden sign and I slowly reached out, gently placing my right hand along the side of it.

The words carved into the sign were in a language I didn't recognize, but that didn't matter to me. As I stood at the crossroads, I could see where each path would potentially end up taking me. The left path stretched on, with more trees and a black sky, until it just came to a dead stop at a shrine surrounded by more trees. A severed head, neckline plunged into a pike of blood-drenched wood, was displayed outside it. I knew whose head it was right away. Taze.

I looked to the right path. I squinted my eyes to try and get a look at what else was waiting for me down that way, but beyond the tower that stood firmly amongst the other buildings in the distance, everything else was shrouded in a while mist. In spite of that, the sky was blue, the grass leading up to the area was green, and it was generally a much better-looking route. There was this feeling of warmth and comfort that I simply couldn't ignore.

I took a deep breath, recomposed myself, and began walking down the right road.

Where I wanted to be.

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, a long, unstable breath working its way out of me.

The sound of a hoarse smoker's cough from the apartment under me, no doubt belonging to the old lady living there, filled my ears. I groaned, pulling my duvét over me in a feeble attempt to nullify the sound, but she just started coughing louder, as if she could tell I was trying to block her out.

Within a few minutes though, the coughing died down and I was able to close my eyes and slow my breathing as I tried getting back to sleep.

To me it felt like a lifetime had passed, even though I knew it had only been a day since the Gala. Technically it had only been six hours, but I figured that since I had gotten some sleep that I could consider that everything that happened at the Gala was all in the same day. It was stupid, but I wanted it to be that way.

I didn't have any plans for the day, and I was perfectly content just spending all my time in bed, sleeping or listening to music. I'd have done anything really to get the events of the Gala out of my head.

I sighed, trying to think back to what happened in the dream. There was some part of me that felt as though there was something about it that I needed to know, or that held some sort of importance, even though with every second that passed, the memory of it all just became more and more unclear. However, the more I thought about it, the more I felt myself drifting back off to sleep.

I could feel it. I was just on the verge of falling asleep again when my phone went off.

My eyes shot open and I all but leapt out of bed, ready to ditch my phone against the wall. I snatched it from my bedside drawer as my eyes burned, looking to see what had caused my phone to go off.

A message from Jack.

_Come to Yusei's. Need to talk._

I stared at the message on my phone until my eyes lost focus and my vision blurred. I looked up and over to the couch in my apartment, specifically the spot where Taze would sit and quietly strum away on his guitar.

I collapsed back onto my bed, sighing as my phone fell from my hand, landing softly beside me. It wasn't that I was afraid, I was just, quite frankly, too fucked to do anything. And I felt like I'd said everything I needed to at the Gala, which wasn't an easy experience for me, to say the least. I didn't think that I owed anyone a follow-up explanation, but then again, I really didn't know the reason why Jack wanted to see me. For all I knew, it could've had nothing to do with what went on at the Gala.

I sighed once more, looking over at my phone again. Hesitating for a moment, I picked up my phone and sent Jack a reply.

_K. Be there in 10._

* * *

I wasn't sure what to think or what would happen when I rocked up at Poppo Time. I was a little perplexed to find the garage locked, and I couldn't see anyone inside when I looked through the window. I sighed, walking back up past the shop and around to where Zora's place was. I knocked on the door, assuming that if Jack wasn't in the garage, he might've been with Zora inside her place waiting for me.

I was a little later than I had planned to be, mainly because I'd gone to the bank to cash Joel's check in. I figured I'd do that seeing as I was already out, but I realized then that that mightn't have been a good idea, as Jack might've wanted to see me right away.

The door handle rattled, squeaking a little as the door opened, Zora standing on the other side.

"Hi, Tyler." She greeted.

"Hey, Zora. Sorry to bother you, but is Jack around? He texted me and told me to come by the garage, but it's locked."

"He's inside. Please come on in." Zora said softly. She offered me a warm, compassionate and assuring smile, so I knew right away that somebody, probably Crow, had told her about what I'd said at the Gala, for some reason.

I followed Zora into her place, walking past the kitchen as she stopped just short of her living room, motioning for me to go on in. As I walked into Zora's living room, I wasn't expecting to see everybody else. 'Everybody else' consisted of Crow, Akiza, Leo and Luna sitting on the couch with Jack. Yusei was nowhere to be seen.

"What's goin' on?" I asked.

Zora opened her mouth to speak, but Jack interrupted. "We thought we'd get you over here and sort out your issues." He said bluntly.

"Oh, _God_!" I groaned, turning away.

"Nice, Jack. _Very_ direct…" Crow murmured.

"I'll get lunch out of the oven." Zora said, moving into the kitchen.

"What Jack meant is, we all want to help you." Akiza said.

"Guys, we went over this last night: I'm _not_ gonna try killing myself again." I said openly. "It was stupid. I know that _now_ , and I knew that _right_ after Luna talked me out of it. Can we please, _please_ drop the subject? It's uncomfortable for me to even think about, much less talk about!" I shouted. I sighed, realizing I may have been a bit too direct. "Look, I appreciate that you guys want to help me, but I've said what I've said, and… There isn't anything more to it. Really, there isn't. I… I'm fine… Well, I'm not _fine_ fine, but… I'm coping…"

"That's not why we called you over here." Akiza stated.

"Oh?"

"Tyler," Luna started. "We're really sorry about what happened to Taze."

My heart skipped a beat. "I am too…" I muttered. I threw my arms up, pushing my hands against my eyes. "Look, I'm sorry if this seems like I'm pushing you away or that I don't want to deal with my problems, but I just… this isn't really something that I want to discuss."

"I… We just don't want you to feel like you have to bottle things up, Tyler. We're your friends!" Luna insisted.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked softly. "Cry about it?"

" _Have_ you cried yet?" Jack asked.

"I… don't know if you're asking me that sincerely or sarcastically."

"Sincerely." Jack said, lying back against the couch.

I scoffed, and then shook my head. "No. I think I've been crying so much about other things that my tear ducts are just broken now."

"I'm not sure that can happen…" Akiza muttered, looking to both sides of her.

"Well whatever. The point is I haven't cried about Taze dying yet. If you'd _like_ me to, I _can_ , but I'm sure _none_ of us want _that_." I said plainly. I sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? Look: As I've said, this j-it's just not something I'm comfortable talking about."

"Talking about… with _us_?" Akiza asked.

"No! Just talking about _in_ _general_! I had the feeling that, if I were to tell you guys about my suicide attempt, you'd go 'Oh. Tyler's mentally unstable. We can't hang around him anymore until he sorts himself out.', and it's not exactly like I was gonna call you guys up and be like 'Hey, just wanted to let you guys know I tried killing myself!', 'cause that's just messed up all on its own. I don't even have your number. I've got Jack's, and I've got Luna's. That's it."

Akiza and I both stared at each other, neither of our gazes wavering. The rest of the group was silent. I had no idea what was going through Akiza's mind, but I expected her to get up and leave, or tell me to piss off.

"Give me your phone." She finally said.

"What?"

"Give me your phone." Akiza repeated, motioning for me to hand it over.

"Fine. Here you go." I sighed, reaching into my left pocket and handing Akiza my phone. She started tapping away at something on the screen and then looked up at me.

"If it weren't for you, and Yusei… I would've probably done the same thing. I know that you got me out of the Arcadia Movement before it collapsed, and Yusei got through to me during my Duel with him and made me reconcile with my dad. I have what I have because of you guys… And I am how I am because of you guys. We all owe each other a little piece of ourselves, and that's okay. I thought that all I was, all I could ever be, was a monster, an outcast… But Yusei… Yusei helped me, showed me I could change, and thanks to him, I was able to be a part of a new group of friends. I know what it feels like to be alone, Tyler, to feel like you can't talk to anyone about what's going on, but I promise you we can work through this, together – as friends."

Akiza then passed my phone to Crow, who tapped away and then passed it to Leo, who, after Crow whispered something to him, did the same before getting up and giving my phone back to me. I looked down at my phone to see what they'd all done and was surprised to find that they'd each put their cell numbers in.

"Guys… I…" I stammered. I honestly had no idea what to say or what to do, so I just stood there looking sheepish. As an action, it was something so simple, but to me, it meant more than I could've said. I looked back at the five people sitting on the couch. I knew that each of them cared about me in their own way, otherwise they wouldn't have been here, and I wouldn't have been called over.

"Lunch is ready!" Zora called.

I decided I had to do something. I walked over to Akiza first, kneeling down as I moved my arms under hers, pulling her to me and hugging her briefly. "Thanks…" I whispered, feeling her put a hand on my back as I moved from Akiza to Luna, who was sitting next to her. I did the same with the twins, hugging and thanking them. With Jack and Crow, I just nodded to them instead, as I didn't want to make them uncomfortable.

I got to my feet, hearing Luna groan as Leo rushed past me and into the kitchen. Luna offered me an apologetic glance, her hand brushing my arm as she walked past me, motioning for me to follow.

I stood still for a moment as everybody else got up and headed into the kitchen, Crow putting a hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, man. Are you coming or what?"

I sighed, following Crow into the kitchen, but only because I was asked. I wasn't expecting to be offered lunch or anything, though I was feeling kind of hungry. Truthfully, I felt that things were a little off now. I'd had this, in my eyes, intense emotional breakthrough, and then suddenly it was time for lunch. Maybe I was overthinking things a little, as I had a tendency to do.

Deciding not to say anything, I simply watched as everyone sat down at the table across from the kitchen counter, aside from Luna, who was talking with Zora behind the counter as she took something out of the oven. Crow pulled a chair out for Akiza, who smiled politely at him before sitting down. Jack and Leo also went and sat down at the table, and for some reason I just stood there, not moving until Jack spoke to me.

"Are you gonna sit down, or are you just gonna stand there?"

"I, um… I don't want to intrude…" I muttered.

"Don't be silly, Tyler! Sit down! There's plenty!" Zora insisted.

"Okay…" I mumbled, taking an empty seat as Zora placed a bowl of Macaroni and cheese in front of me. To be honest, I felt a little awkward sitting down at the table with everyone. The last time that I'd eaten with company was when I stayed at Leo and Luna's place seven months ago, and although that really shouldn't have mattered _at_ _all_ to me now, it did. I was nervous and it was stupid.

I waited until everyone else was seated and had a bowl in front of them before I even thought about making eye contact with anyone else. Luna sat down next to me and I saw her smile gently. I turned to her, politely smiling back, before looking to the food in front of me. Although we were all seated, Zora stood behind the kitchen counter.

"Zora, aren't you going to have anything?" Akiza questioned.

Zora shook her head. "Oh, no. I simply can't. You should all eat while it's hot though."

"If you say so…" Akiza muttered, although Leo was more than happy to start digging into what was in front of him.

I gently moved my fork to scoop up some pasta, moving it against the bowl before lifting it to my mouth and eating it. "Zora, did you make this?" I asked, turning to her.

"A-actually, I did." Luna piped up. "I brought it over. I thought maybe you'd want something to eat since I didn't see you have anything last night. I-I was going to bring it over to your apartment for you, but then Akiza called me and told me about what was going on."

"Really?" I said, mentally cursing myself as I realized my tone of voice could've come across as somewhat patronizing, which was not at all what I wanted or intended. "And what's this green crispy stuff on the top?" I asked, poking it gently with my fork.

"Breadcrumbs and seaweed."

"Genius." I said, before continuing to eat.

If it hadn't have been for Leo's loud chewing, there would've been complete silence while we ate. There was still something that bothered me though, but it wasn't really anything to do with me. Even so, I felt like I still had to ask.

"So, where _is_ Yusei?" I probed quietly.

Jack and Crow looked to each other before shrugging.

"I don't know. He came home late last night - woke me up, and then left again very early in the morning." Zora explained. "I do hope he's okay…"

"Whatever's going on, he won't talk to us about…" Crow muttered.

"He's gone from stoic to catatonic…" Jack mumbled. "The last time he was like this was with Kalin, but even then… This seems like something else entirely."

I sat back in my chair, thinking back to the last time I saw him before he went back to the Satellite. "Well," I sighed. "I spoke to him before he left for the Satellite and he was fine. I wasn't, but _he_ was."

"What if it's got something to do with the Ghost?" Crow suddenly asked.

"The Ghost…?" Jack muttered.

"Yeah. I mean, Yusei only barely won against that Meklord Emperor thing. Maybe the fact that he almost lost had been weighing on him for a while after, and then, once he had some time to think about it in the Satellite, he just… shut down…"

"Poor Yusei…" Luna muttered.

"Has he ever actually _lost_ a Duel?" I asked.

"Only when he's not taking it seriously." Crow answered.

"He lost to me once." Jack stated. I was actually quite surprised to hear this, though I didn't doubt Jack for an instant. "He had this stupid strategy where he tried to take me down using only Monsters. No Spell or Trap cards. It was a lot like how he Dueled yesterday actually."

"Yesterday?"

"Yusei and Jack had a Turbo Duel just after ten in the morning. He wanted to try and defeat Jack without any Synchro Monsters." Crow explained.

"Wait… you said that he lost to you once a while ago. Does that mean he beat you yesterday without using Synchros?" Leo asked innocently.

"For _your_ information, I called the Duel off. It was pointless, he couldn't have won." Jack said.

"But… you weren't going to let him at least _try_?" I asked.

"There'd have been no point." Jack repeated. "If Yusei was going to win against me then, he'd have won by topdeck. The Ghost is long gone anyway. It was a _robot_ , and it _exploded_. Yusei beat it. That's it. End of story. There's nothing more to it."

"Explain why Yusei's 'catatonic' then, Jack!" Crow argued.

"I don't know! You explain it!" Jack retorted.

"Calm down, both of you!" Zora snapped. "When Yusei gets back, we'll talk to him together. Until then, there's nothing we can really do."

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have brought any of it up."

We all went back to eating for a few minutes until an uneasy groan escaped Akiza's throat. "I-I'm going to go call him. May I be excused?" She asked.

Zora nodded. "Of course, Akiza. Go ahead."

Akiza pushed herself back from the table, got off her seat, bowed and walked back into the living room, presumably to make the call. My eyes followed Akiza out of the room before I turned back and looked down at the table as well.

"She's really fond of Yusei, isn't she?" Jack snickered, pointlessly verbalizing the obvious.

"Yeah…" I mumbled, before continuing to eat my meal.

* * *

The rest of the meal was quite uneventful, mainly just pointless bickering between Jack and Crow. Akiza was able to get hold of Yusei, and she said he'd be coming back soon. After we ate lunch, I helped Zora out a little with the cleaning. I decided I'd really only stay until Yusei came and then I'd help out with whatever needed to be said to get Yusei out of his funk, and then I'd head on home.

There wasn't really anything left for me to do at Zora's after all. No one else had brought back up what I'd said the night before, or asked how I was coping with Taze's death, and to be honest I was glad about all that, that no one was going on about it, but at the same time, it felt weird to me that no one was.

Zora handed me a plate, which I dried with a dish towel and then put away amongst all the other dishes. We'd been talking about soap operas for the past fifteen minutes or so, not really any in particular. Just general things, and then we'd occasionally talk about a specific show, as we were doing now.

"So have you seen any of the newer episodes?" Zora asked me.

"I haven't seen any of the new ones, but with the old ones, the reruns, I see Paul do all this hardcore stuff, and then someone comes along, guy or girl, and then they butt heads with Paul, as if one quick Google search isn't gonna tell them _not_ to mess around with this guy."

"I never thought about it like that…"

I nodded in agreeance with my own statement. "I _do_ like though, how they got the brother of the guy that Paul killed in the Lassiter's Fire as the guy who shot Kate. That was pretty cool, even though that storyline happened, what, _seven_ years ago?"

"Well the _fire_ happened ten years ago from then, but the episode that I think you're talking about… Yes, I remember that being on television seven years ago…" Zora turned to me. "You know, from what Yusei's told me about you, I never thought of you as a soap fan."

"Yeah, well there's nothing else really to watch during the middle of the day…" I muttered. "That, and I'm… not exactly the same person that I was a few months ago…"

"Yes, Yusei told me that you suffer from amnesia."

"Well… 'Suffer' is sort of subjective. I mean, I _have_ amnesia, but it's not really something that bothers me anymore. I've got really good friends here in Yusei, Luna and everyone else and… there's not really much else I need or even want. To know that I've got the support of friends, people who treat me like I matter, it's a great feeling." I started smiling, taking a spoon and drying it. "And I could have it a lot worse, you know? I've got a place to live. I'm getting by. Some people don't even have that. I could be homeless, or have some debilitating illness. I could be…" My thoughts drifted to Taze. "Dead…" All of a sudden, it was as if a switch was flicked in my mind. My grip on the spoon loosened, and it slipped from my fingers, falling to the ground. I closed my eyes, throwing my hands up in anger. "I'm sorry!" I breathed, bending down and picking up the spoon.

"It's okay, Tyler. It's just a spoon. Don't worry." Zora said, a weak smile on her face as she took the spoon from me and rewashed it.

"It's not that." I admitted. "I, um…" I sighed. "Never mind."

Zora's smile faded, and a look of pity took its place. I turned away.

"Well that's all the dishes done." She said, taking the one spoon that was left and drying it. "Thank you for helping me with them."

"Glad I could help…" I muttered. Though I tried to sound happy, I was now feeling rather dejected. I looked down at my pants pockets before turning to Zora. "Hey, Zora. You wouldn't know where Luna is, would you?"

"I think she's with Leo, and _he's_ watching TV."

"Ah." I nodded. "Cool. Okay, thank you." I bowed, leaving the kitchen and walking into the living room, where Leo was facing the TV, utterly enthralled by whatever was on, and Luna was just sitting next to him, almost twiddling her thumbs in boredom.

"Luna…" I spoke softly so as not to scare her. She perked up and looked over to me as I spoke again. "Can I see you in private for a moment?"

I saw Luna blush for a brief second as she exhaled sharply. "O-okay…" She stammered, getting up from the couch and walking over to me. I took Luna by the hand and led her out into the hallway, which thankfully was entirely vacant. Without a word, I retrieved my wallet from my pocket and rummaged through it, before placing a bunch of money from it into her hands. "Wh… What's this…?" She asked.

"This is the money that you spent at Treetop. I'd like you to have it." I smiled.

"Where did you get this?"

"Joel gave me a check last night, which I cashed in before I came here. I want to give you what I owe you."

"Oh, n-no Tyler, I can't accept this."

I sighed. "C'mon, Luna. Please. I owe you this, and I still feel really bad that you paid not only for me, but for you as well."

"No, Tyler, I… I don't need your money… I… You bought me chocolates… I like spending time with you… You don't owe me anything…" she mumbled, giving the money back to me.

"Okay, well…" I sighed, putting the money away. "If you won't let me pay you back in money, how about something else? I've got two tickets to a Jewel of the Sage revival." I began, closing my eyes. "Um… Taze bought them. He… Our band was weird and… he'd change his mind about so many things so often, I don't think I was ever on the same page with him. He wanted us to do Showtunes at one point, and so he bought two tickets for the two of us to go and see the show. He changed his mind a little while after that, but he couldn't get a refund, so he let me hold onto them. Would you like to go with me? You can say 'no' if you want."

"W-with you…? I-I'd love to go!" Luna chirped, bringing a smile to my face. "When is it?"

"In a few weeks. To be honest, I've forgotten the exact date. It's on the tickets, and I know it's a Friday night, and it finishes a little late. Maybe we could go and get dinner too? Since it'll be late after, I mean. Of course, I have every intention to pay for dinner. I'll text you the details and stuff when I get home and have a look at the tickets."

A soft inaudible sound escaped Luna's lips as she blinked. "…Th-that would be great!" she smiled.

I smiled back. "Awesome."

Luna and I walked out of the hallway and back into the living room. Leo was gone and the television was switched off. I turned to Luna just as Akiza came running in, an anxious, startled expression on her face. "Tyler! There you are!"

"Akiza, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I-it's Yusei… Something's happened to him!"

"What do you mean?"

"I got a call from his phone, but it wasn't him. He's been kidnapped!"

"Oh no!" Luna shouted.

"Kidnapped… Are you sure?" I asked, trying to process what I was hearing as quickly as possible.

"I'm positive. The man on the phone told me he's been abducted, but didn't say anything else." Akiza said.

"Wait, the kidnapper called you and _told_ you what he was doing? Why the Hell would he do that?"

"I don't know!" Akiza almost screeched, the panic in her voice unmistakable. "It might be a trap! It probably _is_ a trap, but we can't just do nothing! Please, Tyler! We need to get out there and look for him right away, before something terrible happens."

I sighed, thinking quickly. "Have you told Jack and Crow about this?"

"She has." Jack spoke. Luna, Akiza and I turned behind us to see Jack and Crow enter the living room. "We're going to look for him now. There's nothing to worry about."

"How can you say that?!" Akiza scoffed. "Yusei could be in terrible danger!"

"Chill out, Akiza. Yusei's not a child. If he did get kidnapped, he'd be more than capable of getting unkidnapped." Crow stated.

"'Unkidnapped' isn't a word, Crow…" Jack muttered.

"You know what I mean! He can take care of himself." Crow protested.

"Why are you guys acting like this is nothing?!" Akiza shouted.

"Because it _is_ nothing." Crow asserted. "If it was any other person, then yes, we'd be worried. But this is _Yusei_. He's been through tougher stuff in Team Satisfaction than a little kidnapping scare. Not to mention the whole Dark Signer thing. Please don't think that we don't care about Yusei – we do. We _are_ going to look for him, but you _are_ overreacting just a little about this whole situation."

"I'm _overreacting_?!" Akiza asked incredulously.

"Can I just interject and say that I wholeheartedly agree with Akiza that this _is_ a big deal, and more to the point, I think we should be getting out there and looking for Yusei as opposed to just talking about it and arguing with each other." I stated. Akiza and Crow both turned to me as I rose my hands up in defense. "I'm _just_ saying."

"Well _she's_ always extra sensitive when anything involves Yusei." Crow grumbled.

A blush quickly crept onto Akiza's face. "I-I am _not_ extra sensitive! I just care about Yusei!"

I turned to Jack as he started walking off. "Jack, what are you doing?"

"You said it yourself. We should be out there looking for Yusei…" he simply said, walking out of the living room without looking back.

I turned to Luna. "Luna," I began. She looked over at me, seemingly completely focused on what I had to say. "Can you find Leo for me? And keep an eye on your phone, just in case Yusei calls, or the kidnapper decides to contact you as well, you can tell us where Yusei's being kept."

"Of course." Luna nodded.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Alright. I'll head to East Valley, see if I can find him. If I have time, I'll head down and check the Junk Market and Oilslick Alley too." Crow said.

"Sounds good."

Crow and I started walking off, him heading down to the garage, and me going to head outside, but Akiza stopped me. "Tyler, wait. Take me with you." She called.

I stopped, looking back at Akiza. "What?"

"I'd feel so useless if I stayed here. I want to help, but I don't know how to ride a Duel Runner. I can't just sit here while Yusei might be in danger."

I walked over to her, trying to put on the best assuring smile I could. "Of course you can come. But you're not useless, Akiza. Think of what you did last night at the Gala. You put an end to that psycho guy's killing spree. If you hadn't have been there and done what you did, who knows what would've happened."

Akiza closed her eyes and turned away.

"Just stay here, I'll grab a spare helmet from the garage and be right back."

* * *

My Duel Runner roared along the causeway, moving in and out of the way of other vehicles on the road. I ignored the beeping of horns from other patrons of the road before settling into a lane. I think everybody was just a little agitated because a little while beforehand, a Turbo Duel had started, which meant we all had to change lanes.

I'd taken enough of the sun streaming directly in my face that I angrily threw the Runner into auto-pilot, the speed at which we were traveling decreasing suddenly. Akiza's body jerked as she stumbled forward, her chest pressing into my back for a moment. "Sorry. I should've told you I was going to do that." I apologized.

"It's fine…" Akiza sighed, though I could barely hear her. "I wonder if Crow or Jack have had better luck…!" Akiza spoke, this time much louder.

I looked down at my Duel Runner's screen, noting that neither Jack nor Crow had contacted us, and also that we'd been out looking for Yusei for probably just a little under an hour. "No idea. I hope so."

Akiza's hands moved from my sides to under my arms and against my chest as she moved forward, her head now next to mine as she spoke. "Something just tells me that something awful has happened to Yusei."

"We're gonna find him, don't worry." I assured her. The two of us traveled in silence for another few minutes until Akiza spoke up again.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why… Why didn't you tell me that you…" Akiza stopped, although I knew what she was going to say. "Tried to kill yourself?"

"Well," I pondered. "I didn't want to worry anyone, I didn't want to worry _you_ , but… I think most of all, I was just afraid that you guys would think of me as… some messed up lunatic and… not want anything to do with me… like you wouldn't want to be friends with someone like me."

I could feel Akiza breathing shakily, her hands twitching against my body. "You really think I'd stop being your friend?" she asked. "I was persecuted for years because of my powers. I didn't have any friends growing up. Everyone thought I was either a monster or a witch. My parents wanted nothing to do with me, I was kicked out of school, even with the Arcadia Movement… I was still treated like more of a weapon than an actual human being. Yusei was the first person in a long time to ever treat me with any sort of respect… He was the first person to call me a friend and _mean_ it. He saw how messed up I was, how I treated myself, how I _thought_ of myself, but he didn't run away, even when I pushed. He stayed and fought for me. We're all messed up people, Tyler, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop being your friend."

As Akiza spoke, I realized that there was still so much about her that I didn't know. I felt a little guilty, to be honest. I hadn't really taken the time to get to know her, and the majority of the time that we'd spent together was either at the Arcadia Movement, or fighting against the Dark Signers, both of those times being less than ideal to work out personal issues, at least for me.

I had been so wrapped up in my own emotions and my own feelings that I hadn't really been thinking about other people, unless it was right in front of me like with Luna and Sly. There was so much more to Akiza than I realized or ever really thought about. It had probably been the same vice-versa, at least until my confession. Akiza had put in the effort, so now I had to as well.

"Thanks…" I muttered quietly, though I didn't think she heard me. "Thanks." I repeated, this time a little louder. "You're really awesome, Akiza. And… if you want to talk to anybody about anything, I'm happy to listen."

"Well you _do_ have my number now…" Akiza smiled, before gasping suddenly. "Tyler! Take the next left!" She shouted. "It's Yusei! He's on his Duel Runner!"

My eyes widened. I leant forward, taking my Runner off of auto-pilot before speeding up just a little. I took the next left as she said, and as we turned, I caught sight of Yusei on his Duel Runner, who was riding right next to someone else. I sped up again, just a little more, flashing my lights at Yusei's Runner hoping he'd see and not mistake what I was doing as a challenge to a Turbo Duel.

I smiled as Yusei changed lanes and started slowing down, eventually pulling over, though he was quickly followed by that other individual he'd been next to. I slowed down as well, moving my Runner to the side of the road and gently pulling to a stop a little ways away from Yusei.

Akiza got up off my Duel Runner almost immediately, handing me the spare helmet as she ran up to Yusei. "Yusei!" she called. I sighed, also getting off my Duel Runner. I followed Akiza, though I was a little concerned when the person who'd parked next to Yusei, someone who I didn't recognize, got off their Duel Runner, and presumably looked over at us.

My heart skipped a beat as the figure took off their helmet. I was not at all expecting to see long blonde hair flow down from the back as the woman in white shook her head, straightening her hair with her fingers and briskly walking over to meet with Yusei.

The way she walked was rather entrancing. I could only imagine what kind of figure she had underneath all that padding.

"Tyler, Akiza, hey. I didn't know you'd be out here." Yusei said, walking over to us with the blonde woman in tow.

"What do you mean? I got a call from someone saying you were kidnapped, so Jack, Crow, Tyler and I have been out looking for you! We've been so worried! We thought something terrible had happened, but it seems like you've just been out here on your Duel Runner. Why didn't you call?!" Akiza asked.

"Well, actually, I _was_ kidnapped." Yusei said, speaking as if it was only a minor annoyance. "To make a long story short, I was out at the Pier when members of some Duel team came up and started heckling me to join their team for the Grand Prix. I was knocked out and thrown into the back of a truck with my Duel Runner. When I came to, I escaped."

"That's when _we_ ran into each other." The blonde said, her speech peppered with an accent I couldn't identify.

"And you are?" Akiza probed.

The blonde woman smirked. "My name is Sherry LeBlanc. I thought Yusei and I would make a perfect team."

"So then… You're a part of that team that abducted Yusei?!" Akiza asked, raising her voice.

" _Absolument pas_. It is but a mere coincidence that Yusei was kidnapped and we happened to cross paths." Sherry stated.

"What a load of crap! You can't expect me to believe that?!" Akiza shouted.

"Hey, now hold on a second." I cautioned. "First off, I haven't said a single word yet and I find that _outrageous_. Second of all," I turned to Sherry. "What accent is that, if I may ask? I'm curious."

"Septentrional French." She replied.

"Interesting." I nodded. "Okay, and third," I turned to Akiza. "If Sherry _was_ a part of that Duel team that abducted Yusei, don't you find it weird that Yusei's not only perfectly fine, but that they _both_ pulled over?"

"He's right. Sherry can be trusted." Yusei said. "She had nothing to do with those guys who got the jump on me. She'd never do that."

"How do you know that for sure?" Akiza asked. Sherry started laughing softly as Akiza turned her attention fully to the blonde. "Why are you laughing?"

"Yusei and I have a special connection. We understand one another perfectly. In the brief moments we've spent together before you came, we forged a deep understanding. Perhaps even greater than the relationship you share with him…"

"You don't know anything about Yusei!" Akiza snapped.

"Don't be so sure about that…" Sherry muttered. I'm sure she didn't mean it to come across how she did, but her tone really did make her sound smug and arrogant. And I could tell Akiza felt the same.

"Okay, I've heard enough! Just who the Hell do you think you are?!"

"Look at you… Thrown into a panic, sulking, all because Yusei didn't call you. If you ask me, you're just upset at being left behind…"

"I didn't ask _that_ from you! But for your information, Yusei's been going through some things. Tyler and I, as well as Yusei's other friends, have all been worried sick about him!"

"Well he's fine now…" Sherry smiled. "I guess a Turbo Duel between two Duelists is all it takes to heal a wounded spirit."

"Turbo Duel?" I asked.

"We, um…" Yusei began. "We had a Turbo Duel a little while ago before you found us. Initially I was a little resistant, but… the Duel made me realize that… I _might_ have been overeacting about my Duel with the Ghost. Well that, and, Crow told me about what you said last night… What you almost did…"

" _Did_ he now…" I muttered.

"He did…" Yusei smiled warmly. "I also realized that my… fear… was nothing compared to how you've been feeling and what you've gone through. So I'd just like to apologize as well, for that."

"Hey, Yusei. You don't need to apologize. Everything that happened to me was internal, and… I could've reached out, but I didn't. That was my fault. I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself, and I'm sorry that we weren't able to respond to your abduction quick enough."

I felt a little weird, honestly, talking about my problems and personal issues with Yusei in front of a complete stranger, although as I glanced over at Sherry, I noticed that she wasn't paying attention to either myself or Yusei.

No. Sherry seemed to be entirely focused on Akiza.

"Alright, Sherry. Cut the crap! Just what's so special about a Turbo Duel anyway?!" Akiza suddenly shouted.

" _Désolé_ , but it's not something you could understand simply by me telling you. You have to experience it." Sherry smiled again, and then turned to me. "You… I can tell _you_ know what I'm talking about."

My face grew hot, and I knew that Akiza was now looking at me as well. "E-excuse me?"

"Don't be modest. I know you've felt it. Your mind and body dissolving in amongst the speed and harshness of the wind against your form, the trembling of emotions, the fear and anticipation of what each move, each new direction will bring. You know what it's like to fight in a Turbo Duel."

I thought back a little. The only Turbo Duel that I remembered doing was part of a License Renewal Test that I took just after getting my apartment in order, and I only did _that_ because I didn't want to get into trouble with the Public Security Bureau for not knowing how to ride and operate a Duel Runner properly.

Of course, I probably did do a few Turbo Duels during my time in the Satellite with Crow, Jack, Kalin and the like, but I wasn't sure. I didn't remember anything like that, but perhaps Sherry knew something I didn't.

"Do I?" I asked softly.

"I've heard enough from you! It's time to Duel!" Akiza shouted, raising her hand before pointing at Sherry.

"If that's what you want, it's perfectly fine with me." Sherry smiled. "I'll just go and retrieve my Duel Disk." Sherry waved before walking over to her Duel Runner.

"Akiza…" Yusei muttered.

"You don't have your Duel Disk on you," I whispered to her. "How's this going to work?"

"I always have my deck with me, just in case. Would I be able to use your Duel Disk for this Duel?" Akiza asked me.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just get it from my Runner." I said, walking over to where my Duel Runner was parked. I glanced over at Sherry and noticed she was looking at me. I pressed a button on my Duel Runner as the display on the screen turned off, the wing of the disk lifting up as I slid my arm through the grip at the bottom. "What do you know about me?" I asked, turning to Sherry, who was now sporting a Duel Disk of her own.

"Everything I need to. I can see it all on the surface. You've experienced hardship in your life, and you're striving for a sense of purpose, and to not be a burden on others."

"I'd say that's about right." I said, trying to remain calm about the fact that this almost random woman knew so much about me, when I'd told her almost nothing. "What about you?" I asked, walking back with her. "What hardships have you experienced?"

"I don't know you well enough yet for me to divulge information like that to you." Sherry simply said. I took my Duel Disk off my arm, walked over and gave it to Akiza, who slotted it over her arm before sliding her deck in and adjusting the strap for her wrist.

"Thanks, Tyler." Akiza smiled, looking over at Sherry. "Ready when you are!"

Sherry smiled, taking a few steps back for space. Her eyes widened at the sound of a cell phone ringing in her pocket. She took it out hastily, before turning away from us and answering it. "Hm? …Yes, of course. _Je vous comprends_ … _À tout à l'heure_." Sherry ended the call, put her phone away and turned to Akiza. "It seems something has come up. Unfortunately, it means I won't be able to indulge in a Duel with you today." She said, deactivating her Duel Disk.

"You're just going to walk away?" Akiza asked.

"I suppose it's for the best. After all, I want our first Duel to be something special. Besides, it's not as if Dueling right now would've been important or urgent."

"Y-you…" For some reason, Akiza was almost speechless.

" _Au revoir_ , Yusei. Let's get together soon. You and me." Sherry winked, walking back over to her Duel Runner, and then speeding off at the next chance.

My eyes traveled from where Sherry's Duel Runner had been parked, and then back over to Akiza, who was now looking at the ground and seemed pretty deep in thought. "Akiza," I spoke softly. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Akiza looked up and turned to me. "Oh, y-yes. I'm fine, Tyler." She looked down at my Duel Disk, taking her deck out, and handing my Duel Disk back to me. "I guess I won't be needing this now." She said. I took my Duel Disk and slotted it back over my arm, readjusting the strap. "I want to stay here with Yusei. I… need to talk to him… thank you for taking me with you."

"It was my pleasure." I smiled. "You're good company." I brushed myself down before turning to Yusei. "I'll tell the others that you're okay. See you around, Yusei." I smiled. Yusei nodded, and then I started walking back to my Duel Runner.

Once I was on my Duel Runner, I took one last look back and watched as Akiza slipped her one of her hands in between Yusei's. I faced the road ahead, revved my Duel Runner, and rode off in silence.


	10. Kiss from a Rose

The synthesized bell chimed as Akiza and I walked into the DW Auto shop, a light and peppy jazz tune coming through the store's speakers. I looked over at the shelves on the left, observing the different engine models on display, while Akiza just looked around the shop, perhaps a little taken aback by the variety and amount of items available for Duel Runners.

At first, I was very surprised when Yusei told me that Akiza was applying for a Duel Runner License, but after thinking a little about it, and what went on between Yusei, Akiza, Sherry and myself a few days prior, I had an idea as to why Akiza sought to get her License. I wanted to help out any way I could, so while Yusei, Jack and Crow were building a Duel Runner for Akiza, I took her to the Duel Runner shop close to my apartment to get her some gear.

"I _still_ don't really understand why we came here…" Akiza whispered to me.

"I know you think that going to Naps would be better, but everyone on the internet is saying this place is cheaper, although it has a smaller range. We're not here for parts or anything like that anyway." I looked around a little more. "Okay, I can't seem to see where the riding suits are. I'll just go up to the counter and ask."

As I walked over to the counter, the person standing behind it left, going into the back room, which perplexed me a little. I stopped and waited, another person taking his place behind the counter. This person looked at me with a wide smile, moving his dark green hair away from his eyes.

"Why, hello there! Haven't seen _you_ in a while!" he grinned, as I straight away knew who the man was. Besides Seria, there was only one other person I knew who was so enthusiastic.

"Kawasaki!" I smiled, walking up to the counter at a quicker pace. "Man, I haven't seen you in ages! Wow! So you're working here at DW?"

"Yep. Ever since the Arcadia Movement bit the dust, I've been working here part-time. You know, a life surrounded by Duel Runners ain't half bad!" Kawasaki smiled. "But enough about me. How are you doing?"

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. I'm actually here to look for a riding suit, and a helmet."

"Ah, well the helmets are just over there." Kawasaki motioned to his left, where a bunch of helmets sat on a shelf near the wall. "And we keep the riding suits out back where we've also got changing rooms. If you'd just like to follow me, I can show you where they a-"

"They're not actually for me." I admitted.

"Oh?" Kawasaki seemed puzzled, until his eyes met Akiza's. "Izinski!" he greeted, now beaming. "I'm thrilled to see _you_ too. You look to be doing _very_ well!"

"I am, for the most part. Thank you." Akiza smiled.

Kawasaki looked back and forth between Akiza and myself. "So if it's not for you," Kawasaki paused, looking at me. "Then it must mean _you_ want to start riding a Duel Runner!" He said, looking over Akiza. "I _do_ find that a little surprising, to be honest."

" _What_?!" Akiza almost snapped.

"Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean, I could've taught you at the very least the _basics_ while we were at the Arcadia Movement, but you never seemed interested. That's all."

"I _did_ ask Sayer about it when I was there. He told me not to concern myself with riding a Duel Runner, that my abilities would be better-suited to a standing Duel." Akiza sighed.

"Well… at least you're going for your License now. Don't be shaken if you don't get it on your first try either. I've seen people ace the theory and then lose it on the practical because of nerves. It can take several tries to get your License, but I know that if you put your mind to it, you'll get it. Just try not to stress." Kawasaki sighed. "Anyway, you wanted a riding suit, didn't you? Come with me into the back, and one of our female employees will help you out."

"That would be great." Akiza smiled.

Kawasaki smiled back and motioned for Akiza to follow him. He opened the door to the back room as Akiza walked in. Kawasaki turned to me. "I'll be right back." He said, closing the door behind him.

Not even ten seconds passed before the door opened again and Kawasaki stepped out. "Alright, Akiza's being sorted."

"Cool."

"So," Kawasaki leaned over the counter, a huge grin on his face. "What have you been doing with yourself since I last saw you?"

"Well, since _you_ last saw me, I escaped from the Arcadia Movement, I met my stepbrother, I almost died, I helped save the world, I almost died _again_ , I found a place to live, and I met up with an old friend… someone who I _thought_ was a friend, started seeing a shrink, took a Duel Runner License renewal test which I passed, took a first aid course which I almost flunked, met up with Akiza and the others again, had a fallout with my old friend, old friend died, and… now I'm here…"

"Well I'm sorry to hear about your friend."

"Nah, don't worry about it. He was a douche." I assured him. "Anyway, what are you doing in your 'off' time?"

"When I'm not working, I just usually read up about new Duel Runner models online, new parts, watch races, Turbo Duels. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm _really_ into Duel Runners."

I started laughing. "I noticed."

"So you said you were seeing a shrink too? What's that about?"

"I-I'm not seeing him anymore." I stated, as if trying to defend myself or amend what I said. "I'm done with that. I-it was pointless." I sighed. "I tried letting someone fix me, without actually trying to work on the problem myself." My eyes wandered. "Everything that happened, happened because of me and my inability to cope or to understand. I didn't want to at the time – I didn't think that would be a problem, but it was. So now I have to try and fix it myself."

"You're being very vague…"

I smiled, though inwardly struggling to find the right words to say. "I sort of did something really stupid a while back, and… if I tell you what it is that I did, it'll probably change your perception of me. I'd rather that not happen, so… I think I'll stick with being vague for now."

"Alright. I won't pry." Kawasaki said softly. I deviated my eyes from his as I let out a quiet sigh, generally uninterested in continuing or holding any sort of conversation with Kawasaki. It wasn't his fault at all. I just couldn't bring myself to say anything more, because a part of me felt that no matter what I said, or what we talked about, it would somehow get back to me and my feelings of negativity.

I stayed silent until the door to the back room opened and a female employee, a middle-aged woman, walked through and held the door open.

My eyes went wide as Akiza stepped out, her body trembling just a bit with each step. The suit she'd chosen seemed like a cross between a women's Talon leather suit and a dominatrix outfit similar in design to her regular clothes, though far more revealing.

Her breasts were accentuated beyond belief, and her nipples were visible through the fabric as well. The outfit seemed to have been almost sprayed on. It didn't leave anything to the imagination. I was actually surprised that what Akiza was wearing was being sold at all, at least with it being called a _riding_ suit.

"So…" Akiza breathed. "What do you think?" the nerves in her voice breaking through.

She was beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunning. Magnificent. Breathtaking. Hot. Sexy.

As absolutely astonishingly attractive as she was, as she _always_ was (but the outfit seemed to make her look even better), I couldn't, nor did I want to, say any of what I thought. Instead, I cleared my throat, desperately trying to think of what to say. The _right_ thing to say. "I'm… not sure about it, you know, being so low-cut. Um… What I mean is, you look great in that, you _really_ do, but I just don't think it's the kind of thing you'd want to wear while you're in a Turbo Duel." I brought my arm up and pressed it just below my neck. "Um… You know, because you don't have any coverage here," I motioned. "Um… If you were to, you know, fall off your Runner, you'd probably end up hurting yourself more. You could avoid that if you got something with a little more… protection…"

Akiza looked down at herself. "I guess you're right. Maybe I'll try something different then…"

* * *

I slowed my Duel Runner to a stop just outside Yusei's garage. Akiza's hands moved away from my waist after I parked near the entrance.

The riding suit that Akiza eventually chose was still quite revealing, though was much more modest in comparison to the one she first showed off. The one she ended up buying was a one-piece red and black leather riding suit, which unlike the other, had proper protection for her shoulders, elbows and knees, although she was still insistent on getting something which showed off a little cleavage.

Akiza got off my Runner, took off the burgundy helmet she'd bought, walked a few steps over and turned to me. "I don't know if this is right. This doesn't feel like me. What if he doesn't like it?" she suddenly blurted.

"What if _who_ doesn't like it?" I asked. Akiza shook her head. "Akiza, don't worry. We got everything you need." I assured her. "Now come on, let's go inside."

Akiza nodded. She walked in first, and I followed after double-checking on my Duel Runner. Yusei, Jack and Crow were still working on Akiza's Duel Runner, but they looked to be just about finished. Cables and engine parts were scattered across the floor. Buckets, milk crates and rags were propped up against each other, serving to support Akiza's Runner, with another milk crate being used almost as a desk for the laptop Yusei was using.

Akiza didn't even have to speak to get the attention of Crow, who wolf whistled almost immediately after catching sight of her.

Akiza's nerves broke again, and she blushed. "Hi guys…"

"You bought a helmet too, I see…" Jack observed, looking Akiza over, though obviously more interested in the riding suit than the body underneath it.

"You look great, Akiza." Yusei smiled as she walked over to him.

"You should've seen the one she tried on first." I said. Akiza turned away, and I mouthed " _So_ _much_ _skin_ ," to Crow.

Akiza looked over at what Yusei, Jack and Crow had been working on. "I-is that…?" she trailed off.

Yusei nodded. "Yep. This here is your Duel Runner. I took parts from a scrapyard in the Satellite and tried making something with the leftover parts here. It should be good enough for you to pass your exams."

I looked over at Akiza's Duel Runner. It was very well put together and from what I understood, which admittedly wasn't very much, it was using a pretty powerful engine under that Beta Frame. Akiza's Runner was probably better than mine, and _hers_ wasn't even finished yet.

Akiza turned back to Yusei, looking wistfully at him. "Yusei… I… Thank you…"

"Now all that's left is for you to get some practice in on your Runner, and get some study material for the theory." I smiled. "And when it comes to the latter, I know _just_ the place…"

* * *

It was a short walk from parking to the Daimon Square Public Library. Akiza had changed back into her regular clothes. It was just the two of us again, as Jack was apparently banned from entering due to a previous altercation with one of the staff, and so he stayed behind at Poppo Time with Yusei and Crow, who wanted to finish up working on Akiza's Runner.

"Wait, so… You've never been here?" I asked as we walked. Akiza shook her head. "I assumed that 'cause you're so studious that you'd spent a lot of time here."

"I usually go to the one closer to home. You know, the City Library." She said as we walked through the front.

"I used to come _here_ all the time. Now… not so much. The last time I was here was the day that the meteor or whatever hit just outside the city." I explained. "Actually, I wonder if my book finally came in…" I trailed off, walking up to the front desk, getting the attention of one of the Library Officers. "Hi, I just wanted to know if you've got the book I requested." I began. "Uh, it should be under 'Tyler Nochi', or 'Nochi _comma_ Tyler'."

The man nodded, looking over at his computer screen as he typed away. "Is that 'Why Suicide' by Eric Marcus?" he asked.

"That's the one."

"Yep. It's on our hold shelf, I'll just get it for you."

"Thanks." I smiled. The man walked away into the workroom behind him and returned a few moments later, book in hand.

"There you go, sir. Have a good day."

"Thanks." I bowed, taking the book from the man and walking back over to Akiza. "Alright, we need to find you some books on Duel Runners. They should be in the non-fiction section around six hundred and twenty-ish."

"Okay." Akiza nodded.

* * *

Akiza and I had sat down at a desk near a computer in the Library. Unfortunately, there weren't that many books on Duel Runners on the shelves, probably because everybody in her class had the same idea as me, but we were able to get a copy of Duel Runners For Dummies, which was better than nothing. Akiza was taking some notes down on a sheet of paper, and I had just started reading my book.

I had a dry, sour taste in my mouth after reading through the book's introduction. I looked up and over at Akiza, noticing that the notes she was making seemed rather simplistic, at least for her.

"I'll write these in better detail into my tablet when I get home." Akiza stated. "I'll borrow the book as well."

"I didn't say anything…" I muttered, acknowledging to myself that she picked up on that I thought her notes were simplistic. I went back to reading my book, somewhat regretting my interference.

"Why are you reading that?" Akiza asked me. "You said you didn't want to talk about what happened. I assumed that went for reading as well."

I looked over at her, not her notes. "Well I don't, but, I honestly don't know where to go from here. I figured that if I read about other people who have… attempted suicide, that I'd be able to get some idea of what I need to do and how I'm going to move forward. Also I, um… I spoke to Kawasaki about it… sort of… And I did request this book a while back. I figured I might as well read it now that it's come in." I glanced down at my book before looking back at Akiza again. "But, Akiza, remember that the main reason we're here is for you. If you need help, just ask."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, but thank you. I'm not really worried about the theory, to be honest. I'm more concerned about the practical test and the final exam."

"Are you worried a little about what Kawasaki said? About failing because of nerves?"

"A-a bit… I mean, I know I shouldn't be. I've done harder things than learn how to ride a Duel Runner," Akiza sighed. "But it's just…"

I could tell that Akiza was thinking about what happened with Yusei and Sherry, and was probably more worried or focused on that than writing down her notes.

"Hey," I cooed. "Just focus on getting notes down for the moment. You can worry about the practical stuff later, when Yusei's done working on your Duel Runner. He's told me he's gonna teach you too, which is surprising."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Yusei wouldn't do that for just anybody – build a Runner pretty much from scratch and take time to teach you how to ride it – when he has a job and he's preparing for the Grand Prix."

"I'm sure he'd do the same for the twins, or you if you couldn't ride a Duel Runner." Akiza dismissed.

"Maybe…" I muttered, not at all convinced. Akiza went back to writing down her notes before reading passages from Duel Runners For Dummies, while I did the same with my book. Ten minutes in, I put the book down and closed it. "Nope. Can't do it. Can't read it. It's too real." I groaned.

"Put it back on the shelf then…" Akiza mumbled, not even looking up from her book.

"Y-yeah…" I sighed.

"Hey, mind if I sit down?" a voice asked. Akiza looked up from her book, and I turned around, looking up at the attractive young woman whose eyes moved between Akiza's and mine. "Sorry, it's just that there's a computer here that I'd like to use." She explained, her voice almost a low drawl.

My eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry. We can move if you'd like." I offered the girl.

"No, no. I don't need you to move. I can see you're very well into what you're doing. Would it just be okay if I sat next to you?"

I looked to Akiza, who just shrugged in response. "Yeah, sure." I smiled, more out of politeness than anything else.

"Thanks." The girl said, sitting down next to me. "My name's Pruma, by the way." She said. I nodded, again, just out of politeness. "Have one of you got a pen?" Pruma asked.

Akiza looked up, before moving one of her pens to Pruma from across the desk.

"Thanks." Pruma smiled. Akiza went back to reading as Pruma started scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Why she couldn't just look up the information on the computer or print it out was beyond me. "Your pen writes really well." She smiled, giving Akiza back her pen. She then turned to me, her eyes falling on the book I had in my hands. "What have you got there?" she asked. "Can I take a look?"

"Uh…" I stammered, not exactly wanting a stranger to know what I'd been reading.

"Questions and answers about suicide, suicide prevention, and coping with the suicide of someone you know…" she read. She looked over to me. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "If you're reading this, then you must be dealing with something terrible."

"Maybe." I spoke softly. I sighed, turning to Akiza. "Akiza, you wanna get that book checked out so we can go?"

"What?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah!" I said quickly. "We're about done here, right?"

Akiza looked at me in confusion before sighing, getting up and walking over to reception. I went and put my book through the returns chute. I hardly even looked back – it was more like a glance – to see if Akiza was following me out of the library.

"Tyler, wait!" Akiza called. I didn't stop. "Tyler!" she called again, her pace increasing as I felt her put a hand on my shoulder. "What was that about?" Akiza asked. I stopped walking, turning back to her.

"Every day, people kill themselves. For some, it's a 'spur of the moment' thing. For others, it's their release from a world that they see no future in… But everyone goes through something different, they handle it differently, _I_ handle it differently. So for her to even _pretend_ like she understands… I… I just don't want some _stranger_ talking to me as if they know what I'm going through… Th… they don't…! She doesn't!" I shouted.

It was that anger again. That disgusting, horrible, _terrible_ anger that almost alienated me from everybody else. I wasn't lashing out at Akiza, and I think she knew that too, but it damn well felt like it, and that didn't excuse my behavior.

"I've done it again, haven't I? I've gone and just…" I brought my hands up near my head, eyes closed, fingers splayed out. "Fucked everything up…"

"Tyler-" Akiza started to speak, but I threw a hand out to shush her, my body tensing for a moment.

"N-you've got enough to worry about without me flying off the handle every damn second. I'll… I'll take you back to Yusei's." I sighed. "…And then I'll head home. I'm sorry." My voice was much quieter now, just above a whisper.

I started walking again, over to the parking lot, and I heard Akiza sigh lengthily, picking up the pace as she reluctantly followed me.

* * *

It was a quiet ride back to Poppo Time. Neither Akiza nor myself said anything. I felt like if I started saying _anything_ that I might snap at her again, and I really had to focus on riding, and not endangering her in any way while with me.

Akiza was silent, probably wanting to talk to me. I didn't know. I didn't ask.

We pulled up at the garage, and I felt Akiza's hands slide away from my waist, a temporary discomfort as I readjusted to the weight of my Runner. Akiza took her helmet off, holding it reverently in her hands as she turned back to me.

"Tyler," Akiza spoke. I didn't want to look at her, even with my helmet's visor obscuring my eyes, but I did. "I'm not gonna tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay…" I figured Akiza would do what she wanted in the end, and I didn't even know if I did or didn't want the others to know. "Good luck with your test." I said quietly, but Akiza had already gone inside.

* * *

I had arrived home in a worse mood than how I was at the Library.

I was shaking violently, muscles twitching. My heart rate was probably life-threateningly high, sweat poured from my brow. It was a wonder I didn't cause an accident on the road. As I walked through the door, I felt a lump in my throat and I ripped off my helmet, bolting into the bathroom to expel the phlegm that had formed.

I gagged, forcing myself to recover as quickly as I could. I let out a vehement scream, something which I hadn't done since being in that stupid band thing with Taze.

What I feared, what I was hell-bent on making sure wouldn't happen was now a reality. My suicide attempt, my depression, had defined me, turned me into an awkward, uncomfortable, angry sod. I had lashed out at Akiza, someone who meant a lot to me and who didn't deserve it at all. But it wasn't just her. Yusei, Jack, Crow, Leo and Luna. None of them deserved what I was putting them through. They shouldn't have had to worry about me, or to even know that I was struggling. Hell, I shouldn't have even been _struggling_.

I stared at myself in the mirror, studying every imperfection on my face, both the mask I was beginning to hide behind, and what lied underneath. I saw that my eyes were dead, and I wondered whether the others could see that when they looked at me. Yusei's eyes, and Luna's, and Akiza's, Crow's… they were all so full of life, full of purpose in everything they did, Luna's especially.

The person in the mirror was menacing, and I was afraid that at any given moment, he would leap through the mirror and maul me to death. I could hardly believe that the face in the mirror, the almost demonic stare coming from those dead brown eyes, was mine.

Even with everything that'd happened, I was still afraid of myself, and what I might do if given another chance.

Whoever I was before, I wasn't this. I didn't want to be the person staring back at me, especially if it meant losing the only people who cared about me.

My fingers ran along the sides of my face, my cheeks, my neck, as I felt the stubble. Reaching for my razor, I ran it across my thumb in a downward motion, accidentally drawing blood. I didn't feel a thing, even when I grasped my thumb with my other hand and squeezed it, watching the blood pool and slowly drip down my hand.

I turned the tap on, the blood washing away before my eyes. I turned the tap off, pressing my thumb against my lips and closing my eyes. I forced my breathing to slow, my heartbeat to drop and my muscles to relax.

I stayed like that for around fifteen minutes, until I was calm. I opened my eyes, drying my hands as I left the bathroom. I sighed, but it wasn't an angry sigh. It was more like a final effort to dispel all the negativity that I could from my body.

I stripped out of my clothing, not bothering to tidy up as I walked into my bedroom, all but collapsing onto my bed.

* * *

Days passed, and I stayed home for each of them, growing out my beard because I simply couldn't be bothered shaving. I wondered how Akiza was doing. Part of me wanted to get involved with what was going on, but I also didn't want to intrude. Everything that was going on with Akiza at the moment had to do with her getting her Duel Runner License, and I knew if I was there and I acted up, I could make her lose focus, not to mention further damage my relationship with her and the others, which was unstable as it was.

I also didn't want to head over to Duel Academy, which was where the practical test and final exam were and where Yusei was coaching Akiza in the meantime. I was still embarrassed and regretting my actions for the only other time that I had been there, and that would never change.

My phone vibrated against the couch as I tore myself away from yet another Smash rerun and reached for it.

A message from Luna.

_Hey. Haven't heard from you in a while. Are you OK? Leo and I are going to the Kanpa ice skating place in a bit with Yusei and Akiza. Would you like to join us?_

I smiled. It wasn't Duel Academy, so I didn't have to worry about running into Heitmann and feeling awkward. The only thing was I didn't know if Akiza wanted me there at Kanpa with her. She might've wanted to ask me if I wanted to come through Luna, but then again, she might not have. I didn't want to get in the way, but I was invited, so I figured I was wanted.

I quickly typed up a reply.

_I'd love to._

* * *

I had never been to Kanpa before, and going there for the first time, I knew it was more than likely that it would probably be my last time. The place just wasn't my style. Jazz pop played incessantly over the speakers, which I actually didn't really have a problem with. It was more that, everywhere I looked, people just seemed to be all happy and bubbly. I guess I was angry because I still didn't really have that.

The ability to even fake happiness just for a moment…

I could see it around me. People from the Satellite were everywhere, and while the majority of them had one or two Criminal Marks on their faces, there were a few whose faces were almost disfigured from the amount of Criminal Marks they had. Those people were all smiling, laughing, talking. They'd all probably come from harsh backgrounds, harsher backgrounds than my own, and yet were all happy. In a place like Kanpa, they could forget the past for a moment and just look at life in the present as something to enjoy.

It pissed me off, because I wanted that, and had no reason to feel the way I did.

I slowly walked over to the skating rink, quickly moving my eyes to find Luna, Akiza and the others. I did find it a little weird that Yusei had taken Akiza skating of all places and activities, when skating didn't really have much of a connection with riding a Duel Runner, outside of maybe balance.

My eyes took to Yusei as I caught sight of him from afar, effortlessly moving about. Yusei was really good at skating. Like, Olympic athlete good, but that didn't surprise me. I couldn't think of a single thing that Yusei was bad at.

Akiza was struggling quite a bit, but I didn't blame her. I'd never skated before, and I was too embarrassed to try, so I'd have probably been about the same as, or worse than, her.

My inability to skate didn't really matter to me though. I was perfectly content staying on the sidelines with the twins, especially since Luna seemed so happy to see me.

"I'm really glad you came," Luna smiled, turning to me.

"You texted me." I noted. "It's not like I was going to ignore you…" I turned to her, smiling politely.

"Well, I know we haven't really spoken since we were at Zora's place, but I've been thinking about you a lot," She said, "and how you've been."

I could tell then that Akiza had told, at the very least Luna, about my freak out. I could just tell by her tone. I glanced over at Leo, who just continued to watch Akiza and Yusei skate around. "She told you, didn't she?"

"I asked her why you didn't come in with her when you dropped her off the other day. I was there with Leo. Please don't be angry with her. We all care about you and we want you to be okay. I know we keep saying it, but it's true. We're just not sure… We're not sure what we can do to help you…"

I knelt down, and cupped my right hand against her face, smiling. "You… have done everything you can, and you're awesome, so I don't want you to worry about me, okay?" I urged. Luna hesitated, so I continued. "Luna, trust me. I slipped up, and I might slip up again in the future, but that doesn't have anything to do with you or the others. That doesn't make you a bad friend. _I'm_ a bad friend. It took me _six_ _months_ to speak to you guys again, and I wasn't even thinking about what you guys were all going through…"

I looked over at Akiza, watching her start to move around with a little more confidence. Despite what Luna may have thought, I wasn't angry with her. She stopped moving, sliding a little as Akiza's eyes locked onto mine. I nodded, reassuring her that I wasn't going to cause a scene, and she went back to skating under Yusei's instruction.

"Do you guys feel a little in the way? Leo asked, head resting in his hands.

" _I_ was just having a heart-to-heart with Tyler. I don't know what _you're_ going on about being in the way of anything!" Luna protested.

"What? No! I wasn't even _paying_ _attention_ to that! I meant with the three of us third wheeling their date."

"This isn't a date, Leo." Luna replied. "Yusei's teaching Akiza something about Turbo Duels. You know, the center of gravity and that."

"You don't see it? _Really_?" Leo turned to his sister, eyebrows raised.

"I-I see it, but… just because it _looks_ like they're on a date, doesn't mean they _are_ on a date… Besides, if they _were_ gonna go on a date, they wouldn't have let us come along."

"I don't think it's a date. Not unless they start playing some sappy music." I noted. Almost as if on cue, the light little jazz pop number that was playing through the speakers faded out, and was replaced by Shania Twain's 'From This Moment On'. "A little like that… yeah…"

"A little like what? I don't hear it!" Leo said.

"Just wait until the lyrics start…" I smiled. Approximately one minute and thirteen seconds into the song, Shania's vocals came through. I smiled. I always thought she had a nice voice. A little bit nasally, at least to my untrained ears, but very powerful and very pleasant to listen to. When Shania kept singing, I frowned. "I could've sworn this was a duet." I said out loud to myself as the twins looked at me, confused expressions on their faces. "Oh! And before I forget," I reached into my left pocket and pulled out Luna's ticket to Jewel of the Sage. "Here is your ticket." I smiled, handing it to her.

"Oh! Three weeks yesterday!" Luna said suddenly, looking surprised by the date on the ticket.

"I'm sorry, I hope that's not inconvenient."

"N-no, it's not, i-it's perfect!" Luna chirped. "But maybe, um, if you wanted, maybe you could come over a little bit earlier and we could just hang out for a few hours… i-if you want…"

"I'd like that." I turned, a big smile making its way onto my face. There it was. Not fake happiness. _Real_ happiness. The three of us looked over at Akiza and Yusei, though my ears were more focused on the song in the background. As it went on, I became more perturbed by it. "I'm probably gonna have to start singin' the harmonies for this… It's almost annoying, like I know something's supposed to be there and it's not, so it feels empty."

"You mean like how your stomach feels empty without any food in it?" Leo asked.

"Y-yeah… I-I-I… I guess…" I said, before starting to titter.

"You can sing if you want." Luna said. "I don't mind. I haven't heard you sing before…"

"There's probably a reason for that…" I cheekily replied. "Taze hated Country music, even the Pop Country stuff, even artists that started in Country and then fully crossed over." I stated, a brief moment of seriousness and honesty.

"What? So _Taylor_ _Swift_ as well?"

"Well he liked the clothes she wore, just not her music." I said, suddenly thinking back to what happened at the Gala in which Joel called out Taze for being gay. Back then I thought he was using it as a derogatory term, but maybe he wasn't. There might have been signs before, but being hopped up on so much medication, I might not have seen them. Well, _that_ and Taze's sexual preference wasn't something I really thought about.

"Ooh! You mean like the glittery purple one? The one she wore during her Fearless Tour?"

"I dunno. Maybe. To be honest, I thought he just meant _her_. But now I'm thinking… maybe not."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind…" I shook my head, Luna and I turning back to watch Akiza and Yusei.

My smile slowly left my face as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. It was like something straight out of a musical or romantic comedy. Just as the music swelled, Akiza pulled herself up, moving her hands to Yusei's shoulders as she leaned upward, softly pressing her lips against Yusei's.

Yusei hesitated only for a moment, before bringing Akiza closer towards him as they stood almost perfectly still, hands hovering slightly off each other's clothes as Akiza pressed herself closer to Yusei, her chest against his.

"Ew! _Yuck_!" Leo groaned.

I shouldn't have stared, but I did. Not in a perverted or lustful way, just… in both sadness and amazement. I was sad because I really did like Akiza. I remember when I first saw her, I was almost enamored by her, and when we Dueled, I could see the kind of person Akiza wanted to be, the person behind the Black Rose Witch, starting to break through. It wasn't at all to do with how Akiza felt about Yusei. I could see that between them from that first moment in the hospital.

I knew Akiza didn't see me in that light, and if she did like me, I probably wouldn't like her. I was still a very damaged person deep down – just as Akiza had been, but in a different way. A self-destructive person like me could never be in a healthy relationship with someone like Akiza. The incident at the Library was evidence enough, and I realized I had to accept that.

But… I was amazed… Because, if someone like Akiza could take all the crap she'd been dealt and come out on top smiling, and with someone like Yusei, then there had to be hope for me. Not as one person hoping to find another, but as a person hoping to find a permanent happiness.

Yusei and Akiza looked good together anyway.

* * *

I forgot to close my curtains before I went to bed, and so the following morning, I was treated to an unwelcome visit from the sun, light washing against my face. My eyes opened almost immediately, and I looked over at my phone to check the time, before deciding whether or not to get up out of bed.

Eventually, I got up at the _ungodly_ hour of _seven_ in the _morning_ to pick up the twins and head over to Duel Academy. I was assured that no one from Duel Academy, that is Rudolph Heitmann or the twins' friends, would be there to watch Akiza take her final exam.

The twins and I rocked up to the exam area, which consisted of a rather large track and a much smaller seating area which ascended from the ground. The track was no Suzuka Circuit, but parts of it did have me worried that Akiza would have trouble making a couple of the turns. I also thought that the placement of two pipe-filled shelves, supported by four thin narrow beams that was right near one of the edges of the course, could be a potential safety hazard.

Akiza was down on the track, clad in her riding suit. The twins and I made our way over to the stands, which were mostly vacant. A few seats at the front had been taken by three guys, and two seats were taken further up by Akiza's parents.

"Hello, Mr. Izinski." I greeted. "Good morning, Mrs. Izinski."

Akiza's father smiled. "Akiza's friend… Tyler, yes? Please, call me Hideo."

I nodded. "Okay, sir. Hideo."

"Are you excited to watch Akiza and see what she can do?" Luna asked.

"Definitely." Hideo smiled.

"Truthfully, I was a little bit worried." Akiza's mother stated. "But I've heard that Yusei's been teaching her, so I'm sure she'll do fine."

"That's not _all_ they've been doing!" Leo slyly said.

"Leo!" Luna protested.

"Oh, we've heard _all_ about it, don't worry." Akiza's mother laughed.

"Well, having missed out on a lot of moments with my daughter, there was absolutely _no_ _way_ I was going to miss this!" Hideo said enthusiastically.

"Akiza's been working really hard with Yusei. There's no _way_ she'll fail!" I heard Crow's voice pipe up. The twins and I turned to watch his approach as he smiled.

"Hey, Crow. When'd you get here?" I asked.

"Just now. Yusei's coming. He's just gone down to the track to give Akiza a little pep talk." He explained. I stared down at the track below, and I could just see Yusei and Akiza sharing another kiss. I looked back at Crow. "Oh yeah, did you know they're together now?" he asked.

"Yep…"

"First Jack and Carly, and now Yusei and Akiza…" Crow mulled.

I sighed, wanting to get off the topic as quickly as I could. "I thought that the final exam would've been at the New Domino DMV." I said.

"Nah, since the announcement of the Grand Prix, more people have been applying for licenses, so they had to move the testing area to a bigger space." Crow explained. "Apparently… I don't really know myself, but that's as good a reason as any…"

"Well I'm lucky I got in when I did at the DMV… 'cause this," I muttered, looking out at the track, "looks really intense…" I knew if I had've done _my_ test on _this_ course, I would have failed, most definitely.

"It's not _too_ bad…" Crow said. "It's no Suzuka Circuit. Plus, Akiza's reworked her Deck, so she should be fine."

"I hope she's found a different strategy which doesn't use Black Garden…" I muttered, thinking back to my Duel with Akiza in the Arcadia Movement. It would've been an understatement to say that Akiza wiped the floor with me when we Dueled almost a year ago. Whether it was because the Deck I was given just wasn't that good, or I was a terrible Duelist remained to be seen.

Akiza was so in sync with her cards, while I just seemed to flounder around aimlessly, throwing out cards with no rhyme or reason, since it was the best I could do, and I didn't really know the cards I was playing with enough to make any effective combos out of them.

Things worked a bit differently in a Turbo Duel, and I was sure Akiza knew that from all the time she'd spent with Yusei. It wasn't so much her ability to ride – I wasn't at _all_ concerned about that – as it was the differing mechanics in a Turbo Duel. If Akiza were to use a regular Spell Card instead of a Speed Spell, or forget about Speed Counters, it could probably end up being detrimental to her ability to pass the exam.

"Don't worry. She's got it _all_ figured out." Crow assured. "Now c'mon. Let's go sit at the bottom where we're closest to the action!"

"Would you like to come and sit with us?" I offered Akiza's parents, although I wasn't quite sure it was my place to.

"Oh, thank you, but no. Trust me, you won't want to be near us when Hideo gets going."

"Suit yourself!" Crow chirped as we made our way down to the very bottom set of seats. In the periphery of my vision, I saw Jack walking towards us.

"Sorry I'm late…" Jack mumbled when he was close enough. "I had to get Carly to drive me here, and she didn't fill up her car the night before, _and_ she didn't have any money, her card was declined, so she had to walk to the bank, get the money, walk back home, drive to the fuel station, fill up the car and then drive me here."

"Well you just barely made it." Crow complained. We all sat together in a line. Luna sat next to me, and Leo next her, then Crow, then Jack, then Yusei, who came over last of all, saying nothing.

"Hey Luna," I spoke softly. "Do you know who _they_ are?" I asked, pointing at three other guys sitting in the stands that I didn't recognize.

" _Those_ three? They're _jerks_. Alan, Mark, and Slade. They were trying to get their Duel Runner Licenses as well, but they failed the practical, so they can't even attempt the final exam. They were making fun of Akiza trying to get _her_ license. I'm not sure why they're here now…"

"That does seem pretty suspect…" I murmured.

"Who's Akiza facing off against for the exam?" Jack asked.

"Toshi Yagashiro. One of Tetsu's old associates." Yusei spoke. "Akiza'll do fine. I'm sure."

I turned to Yusei for a few seconds, and then looked back at the track. Toshi and Akiza sat next to each other on their Duel Runners, exchanging words, although I couldn't hear what they were. A well-dressed man walked out, stopping near the side of the track. "Student Izinski. Proctor Yagashiro. Are you ready…?" The man raised his arm. "Turbo Duel! Accelerate!"

* * *

The engine inside Akiza's Duel Runner was going Hell-for-leather as she came back around for another lap, Toshi on her tail.

The Duel had been going quite well for Akiza. She was ahead in both Speed Counters and Life Points and had been able to Synchro Summon her Black Rose Dragon without meeting any resistance. The one error she'd made was that she tried playing a Speed Spell in the beginning but didn't have any Speed Counters to use it. A rookie mistake, according to Jack, but definitely excusable considering how nervous she must have been. I made the same mistake during my exam too, anyway.

To be honest though, I wasn't really paying attention to the Duel. I knew Akiza could win, that wasn't the problem. It was those three guys. Since Luna had told me about them, I couldn't stop thinking that they were planning something sinister.

As it turned out, I was right.

Just as Akiza passed by that shelving with the pipes, it broke. The supports faltered, the shelves dropping and all of the pipes spilling out onto the track. Alan, Mark and Slade started laughing, and I knew straight away that they had something to do with what had just happened.

"Akiza!" Yusei yelled, rising from his seat.

Toshi pulled back, prematurely ending the Duel. Akiza moved from side to side, dodging a couple of the pipes, before she did the same, her Black Rose Dragon fading away.

"Akiza!" Yusei repeated.

"Are you alright?!" Leo called down to her, as she almost seemed frozen.

The three boys burst out laughing. "Looks like you _fail_ , Witch!" one of them snapped.

"What?!" Yusei shouted. He gasped, and then I noticed the guy in the middle clutching a little remote. "You did this, didn't you?!"

"C'mon, man. Let's get outta here!" One of the others said, nudging his two buddies. They nodded, before the three of them got to their feet, climbing over several sets of chairs in an attempt to get away.

"I don't believe this! They're running away!" Crow yelled.

"Not if _I_ can help it…!" Jack barked, leaping out of his chair and charging after them.

"Jack, wait!" Yusei called.

I turned to the twins. "Stay here." I instructed, leaping up out of my seat and following after Jack. I made my way down from the disabled access, as that was easier for me than trying to quickly make my way down from a set of stairs. I took a cut behind the seating area into what I assumed was a faculty-only area, a building that stood to oversee the test course.

I knew that someone had gone into it because the door was wide open, so I charged on in, surprised to find that the room was actually rather large, _and_ that Jack was there, almost waiting for me.

"They came in here, and then they split up!" Jack shouted. "Go that way, so we can cut them off!" he pointed to the right side of the building. I nodded, doing as Jack had told me to. I reached out, gripping the handrail for a brief moment before loosening my grip, allowing my hand to slide as I raced up the stairs of the tower's right wing, making it to the top as quick as I could.

My eyes locked onto the man standing against the railing, who was desperately searching for a way out. I knew he wouldn't find one though. He was cornered. The only way out was through me.

"Nowhere to run." I told the man who I presumed to be younger than myself. He turned to me suddenly, drawing a knife from his pocket. "Whoa, okay… Take it easy…" I cautioned, not at all prepared for a knife fight.

"Not so tough now, are ya?!" He asked, laughing as he started to walk towards me, a completely inhuman look in his eyes as he kept a tight grip on the knife. My eyes kept on the weapon, too afraid to look elsewhere in case he made any sudden movements.

I started walking sideways, away from the staircase in the event that I accidentally fell. My sideways retreat was stopped cold by the railing that was now behind me. "Look, what do you want?" I asked, feeling myself beginning to tense.

"I want you to get on your knees and beg me not to kill you."

My eyes widened and then tightened in focus. This guy, who I really knew nothing about, who I hadn't even really _met_ , was willing to _kill_ me because he and his friends had tried to injure Akiza, and Jack and I had found them out.

To me, it seemed way too farfetched that he'd be willing to go through with committing a murder simply because he couldn't get a license.

Nevertheless, I stood my ground, willing to play his game. "What are you waiting for? Kill me!" I urged, my voice steady.

"Ch…" The man twitched. "Tryin' to act all hardcore, are ya?"

This would be it. The final time I would let this affect me. Either I would walk away having faced whatever it was that originally drove me to that point of despair, or I wouldn't.

I walked towards him, a smile forming on my face as I saw the panic come across his. He thought I was kidding, I could tell, and I did my best to hold back my laughter.

There was little space in between us now. I could smell the deodorant he'd liberally sprayed on himself at some point in the day. If he wanted to, he could've plunged the knife into the left side of my chest, silencing me forever. But he didn't, and inexplicably, I was annoyed by that.

"What's your name?" I asked him softly.

"Slade."

"Well, Slade…" I whispered. "I'm not getting on my knees, so… why don't you just kill me…?"

"Drop the knife!" Jack barked. Slade and I turned to see that Jack had made it to the top of the staircase, Slade's cronies nowhere to be seen.

"You?!" Slade snapped, his attention now undeniably focused on Jack.

"If you want to leave here without having a broken arm, I suggest you drop the knife!" Jack shouted.

Slade twitched, turning back to me. Jack charged him, knocking the knife from his hand as Jack brought his right leg around Slade's to trip him. And in one move, Jack brought Slade's arm down across his knee. I could hear the bones shatter.

"Mark! Alan!" Slade called, though it came across as more of a whimper. Jack moved away, letting Slade drop to the ground.

"I warned you. Tyler or Akiza, it doesn't matter who you try and hurt. I won't let you." He said.

Slade let out a slew of profanity as he rested on the ground in a heap. Jack groaned, lifting Slade up by his shirt collar and dragging him down the steps.

* * *

Jack and I made our way out of the tower and were greeted by quite a welcoming committee. Yusei was talking with Akiza and her parents, while Crow and the twins were talking with Toshi. Alan and Mark were both handcuffed, restrained by two other Public Security Officers that had been called into the area.

"Tyler!" Luna shouted, rushing up to me as her hands reached out to mine. "Are you okay?! What happened?"

"Nothing…" I muttered, smiling. I wasn't afraid anymore. " _This_ one just has some problem with follow-through." I said, looking over at Slade for a brief moment. "Anyway, what happened here?" I asked, looking at Akiza.

One of the other Public Security Officers took Slade from Jack and proceeded to handcuff him, forcing him down into the same position as his friends. Akiza looked away. "I-"

"Miss Izinski was successful in obtaining her Duel Runner License." Toshi said, which seemed to surprise everyone present. "She displayed exceptional riding skills and professional Turbo Duel play." He smiled, looking over at Alan, Mark and Slade, who were now huddled together. "As for you three, I'm gonna have to ask that you come with us. We're gonna have a little chat…"

"What?! We didn't do _anything_!" Slade protested.

"We _saw_ what happened." Toshi said, "And I hope you know it's an offense to lie to an officer, so why don't you make it easier on yourself and your friends and just come quietly?" Toshi and the other officers each took one of the boys, dragging the three of them away.

"Congratulations, Akiza." Hideo smiled.

"We're _so_ _proud_ of you!" Her mother chirped.

"Akiza," Yusei smiled, reaching out his hand. "From one Turbo Duelist to another, welcome to the world of Turbo Dueling."

"Thanks, Yusei…" Akiza smiled, taking Yusei's hand into her own.

I licked my lips. Akiza's eyes were shining, filled with hope and relief. I looked at the way Yusei and Akiza looked at each other, as if they were the only two people in the world, and I smiled.

"Hey, you! Emo boy!" I heard Slade call out to me. I knew it was me he was after. "This isn't over! You haven't heard the last of this!" he cried.

I laughed, because I knew I had.


	11. High and Dry

I watched Yusei and Akiza walk up the steps to greet myself and the twins. They'd just finished Turbo Dueling each other for the second time in a row, with Akiza managing to hold her own quite easily now. I could tell that she was less nervous now than she was when she first got her license, and she had every right to be. She was a really good Turbo Duelist.

"That was great!" Luna applauded, as Yusei and Akiza sat down next to us. "You're getting really good, Akiza."

"Thank you, Luna." Akiza blushed a little, and then turned to Yusei. "What I like is that you didn't hold back against me. You treated me like you would any other opponent." Akiza smiled, turning to me. "You'd better watch out, Tyler! I may be even faster than _you_ now." Akiza giggled. "Just kidding."

"I don't doubt for a second that you would be, what with Yusei coaching you…" I smiled, my eyes quickly glancing down at their intertwined hands.

"I think that two Turbo Duels is enough for today." Yusei said. "It's important that we try to pace ourselves while you're still getting used to things."

"Right," Akiza nodded. "I do have a couple of questions though. I've thought about trying to run standard Spell Cards in my Turbo Deck, you know, cards like Thorn of Malice, or Mark of the Rose. Is there a way that I can do that without, um, taking damage?"

"Well, normally if you used a standard Spell Card, you'd take two thousand points of damage, though there are cards that you can use to reduce the damage or negate the effects altogether, at least for a turn." Yusei looked at me. "I think you've got something like that in your Turbo Deck, don't you, Tyler?"

"Huh…?" I muttered, trying to think of what card Yusei was referring to. "Oh yeah, it's, um… I think it's called Ascension, or something. It negates the damage effect of Speed World 2 for one turn. I mean, I haven't really tried running it with normal Spells, but I guess I can. I mean, if it works, it works." I stopped talking at the sound of footsteps, our group turning to watch Crow's approach from the other side of the stands. "Hey, Crow. What's up?" I asked.

"Another meteor crashed just outside the city." He said.

"You're _kidding_ …" I muttered.

"That's bad, right?" Leo asked.

Yusei nodded. "Very. Last time a meteor landed near New Domino, the Ghost appeared and caused a whole bunch of accidents."

"So we need to be careful then, don't we?" Akiza asked.

"Well we don't really know for sure what's gonna happen now…" Yusei muttered. "If another Ghost shows up, I'm not sure I'll be able to beat him…"

"Hey," Crow cooed. "We _all_ weren't prepared for what happened last time, but now we are. Still, let's head over there and check it out, just to be sure."

* * *

The six of us arrived at the crash site, in amongst a sea of other onlookers, all of them held back by Public Security. It was all very familiar to me, though unlike last time, where the thing had crashed into the plains, it had now crashed into a mountain on the other side of the city, so it was a much greater distance to travel.

As I treaded the ground, memories and feelings of that day flooded back to me, that same chilling feeling returning with a vengeance. Though, unlike last time, where I let it get the better of me, this time I just shook it off, trying to keep myself focused on the present.

"Looks like we're too late…" Leo muttered.

"What should we do now, Yusei?" Akiza asked.

I turned to look at Yusei, everyone else's eyes on him as well. He stood silent, staring intently at the crater on the mountain.

"I don't know…" he spoke softly.

"We could call Mina." Crow suggested. "She should know about what's going on now, right? If there are any other robot Duelists that Public Security's got locked away, they can have them dismantled so that the whole Ghost thing doesn't happen again."

"Good idea." Akiza agreed. "I'll give her a call now…"

Akiza's hand brushed against Yusei's as she walked away from the crowd and the noise.

"Hey Yusei, you okay?" Crow asked.

"I don't know yet…" Yusei replied. "We'll have to wait and see…"

To me, it sucked that Yusei thought it all fell to him to make sure nothing happened to New Domino City, when Akiza, Jack and the others were more than capable of helping out. I would've included myself in that statement, but I couldn't really consider myself a hero.

Regardless of whether or not I thought I could do anything, that didn't matter. It was all in the hands of the Public Security Bureau.

"Well, I hope that if bad stuff _does_ happen, it'll wait until _after_ Friday." I said, sort of in an attempt to lighten the mood, but also for another reason.

"Why Friday?" Crow asked.

" _We_ have plans. Don't we, Luna?" I smiled, turning to her.

"Oh yeah!" she chirped.

I looked to Yusei. "Seriously though, whatever happens, I'm behind you a hundred percent." I put my hand on Yusei's shoulder and he twitched, turning to me as if acknowledging my presence for the first time since arriving.

"Mina's going to take care of it." Akiza said, walking back over to us. "She didn't give me any specifics, but she said we've got nothing to worry about. Yusei, should we…?" Akiza breathed.

My eyes went to focus on what Yusei was looking at.

The crater. The officers. The citizens.

"Yeah… We should go…" he muttered, clenching one of his hands into a fist.

I looked back to the twins. "I'll take you two home if you want."

Just as Luna looked like she was about to reply, Crow spoke up. "I've actually got to make a delivery to someone in the Tops, so don't you worry about it, Tyler, I can drop them off on my way."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm more than happy to-"

"No, no, no, don't worry!" Crow waved my words off.

"Well, alright then… If you're happy to do it…" I sighed, turning to Luna with a smile. "I guess I'll see you on Friday…!"

* * *

I sighed as I turned, fighting the urge to flip off the guy in the car in front of me who'd cut me off. I pulled back, the speed of my Duel Runner dropping fairly quickly.

I had to admit, I was really looking forward to spending time with Luna. I'd been so angsty and unpleasant with everyone, and I knew that I was really lucky to still be considered a friend to her and the others.

It was probably a little early for me to have been coming over. Luna would just be getting home from school as I arrived at her place. I didn't want to rush her, so I was taking a rather scenic route, joyfully watching the sunlight break through the clouds, the rest of the highway almost in darkness from the shadows of other vehicles on the road. Luckily, my helmet's visor was able to block out most of the sunlight, not that it really needed to, since I was using the auto-pilot.

To fill in for some additional time, as well as to make myself more presentable, I spent the morning shopping for a suit, that I was now wearing, and I went to a barbershop just on the outskirts of the city, as I no longer trusted my ability to shave properly.

A call came up on my Duel Runner's monitor, since I had my phone connected to it. I looked down to see Luna's number on the screen. My heart skipped a beat, and for some reason, I felt a little nervous. Nevertheless, I went ahead and pressed the button to answer the call, rearing my head forward just a tad.

"Hello?" I spoke into the microphone just above the monitor.

"Hey, Tyler. It's Luna." her voice came through the speaker. It was just a voice call, so I wasn't able to see her, not that it really mattered.

"Hey, Luna." A smile slowly formed on my face. "I'll be at your place soon. Just sit tight, okay?"

"Actually, I can't go out with you tonight."

My smile left almost instantly. I had no idea what to say. Part of me thought, and hoped, that she was joking. She didn't say anything though, and by the tone of her voice, a tone she rarely ever used, I could tell she was serious.

"Oh…" was all I could say.

"Yeah, I've got _better_ things I need to do with my time."

I almost flinched hearing what Luna had said. It didn't sound like her at all. That's not to say that Luna couldn't be confident or standoff-ish, I wasn't around her for all hours of the day, but she'd _certainly_ never spoken like that to _me_. The one time she did, she apologized almost _straight_ after for how she sounded.

I didn't want Luna to think what she'd said had upset me, so I turned away from the microphone, letting out a little puff of air, before speaking into it again. "Yeah… O-okay, well, you know, have a good night then, Luna." I said, trying not to sound as disheartened as I was, though I knew my tone probably came across as a much-displeased groan.

"I will."

The line went dead and I sighed, pulling over into the far left lane as I slowed to a stop, throwing my Runner into park.

I didn't know what to do. I guess it was a little sad, no, it was _definitely_ sad, that the _only_ thing I'd been looking forward to since the day after the Gala was going to see a musical with Luna.

I was just _asking_ for something to come along and ruin my plans, and I should've been more prepared than I was. I seemed to be unlucky like that.

The beauty of my surroundings started pissing me off. I closed my eyes, reaching down to fumble through my pockets for my Jewel of the Sage ticket. I looked at the ticket in my hand, before folding it with two fingers, crumpling it up and letting it drop to the roadside.

I revved my Duel Runner, remembering quickly that I had it set in park. I shifted gears, shooting off and merging back into the lane I'd been on, looking for the next instance I could safely make a U-turn.

* * *

I had decided I wasn't going to go home yet. If I had've, it would've meant that the day had been wasted preparing for something that didn't happen. I didn't want my memories of the day to all be negative, and though I did feel like just going home and sleeping, I didn't want to do that either.

That said, it was probably one of my weakest ideas to go to a McDonald's of all places, _especially_ with how I was dressed.

I stood at the back of a rather lengthy line, catching the attention of a few school kids who started snickering and making fun of me to their friends. I paid them little attention, my eyes fixed on the menu board above the counter. I wasn't looking at any one discernible item, just whatever was cheap and _not_ fish.

I _still_ really couldn't believe what had happened, how quickly things had seemed to just go to shit for me. One moment, I had something, and the next, it was gone. I sighed. It might've been my fault. It was _probably_ my fault.

"Hey,"

A voice brought me out of my almost trance-like state, as I turned in surprise to the person standing next to me.

"Joel, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"…I came here to get somethin' to eat. I always do around this time." He said.

"You eat here _every_ _day_?"

"Well… not _just_ here. Burger King has some good stuff as well. Same as KFC. It's really just whatever I'm in the mood for. By the way, McDonald's doesn't have a dress code. You know that, right?"

"I know…" I mumbled.

"Well, what's with the suit?"

"I had plans that fell through." I said simply.

"What kind of plans?"

"Just… plans, okay?" I groaned. "I-I didn't want to go home, because I'd spent all this time getting ready, as you can see…"

"And out of _all_ the places you could've gone… You came _here_ … to _McDonald's_ …"

"Yes, I'm well aware this is McDonald's, Joel." I said with a low groan, uninterested in his comments. The line started thinning, but the laughter from the kids near us intensified. "Fucking kids. I wanna shut their fucking mouths…" I mumbled.

"I'll pay for your meal. What do you want?" Joel asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Pick something. I'll pay for it. C'mon." he hurried.

"Uh," my eyes quickly scanned the menu. "A Quarter Pounder, by itself."

"No. Something else. Something _bigger_."

"I, um…" I sighed, moving closer to Joel. "I don't want to ruin this suit. It's the only one I have and I _just_ bought it, so if I spill something on it-"

"You're eighteen, not eighty. Only old people spill shit on themselves." Joel sighed. "I'll buy you another suit if you wreck the one you're wearing. Just… seriously, get a meal, not some pissy little thing."

"Uh…" my mind went blank.

Joel sighed again. "Never mind. I'll go and order for you. Go find a place to sit."

I sighed, moving out of the line and making my way over to a table at the far end of the 'restaurant', sitting down next to the wall closest to the restrooms.

What was perhaps the most annoying thing in regards to what happened with Luna was that I hadn't heard a peep from her about wanting to cancel our plans for the entire week, and then on the _day_ _of_ _the_ _event_ , to get a phone call from her and having her cancel… It was just so much more upsetting than it could have been. After all, if she wanted to call and cancel a few days beforehand, that would've been fine. I mean, I would've still been upset, but not nearly as much as I'd become since she'd called probably less than an hour ago.

Joel came over holding a tray that seemed to be piled with food, sliding into his seat across from me.

"Here you go." he said, putting the tray down in front of me.

"Holy _crap_! What did you _get_?"

"A Deluxe Quarter Pounder with no tomato, thirty McNuggets with Southwest Ranch Sauce of _course_ , five McDoubles, a large Fries, and a large Coke Zero."

"Okay, so… what's mine?" I asked.

"All of it."

"Are you _crazy_? I can't eat all that!" I insisted.

"By the way, stack the McDoubles. Full-on burgasm." Joel grinned, ignoring my statement.

"What the Hell's a 'burgasm'?"

Joel's smile left his face instantly. "The second greatest feeling in the world."

"What's the first?"

"Gettin' high…"

"How much was it?"

"The weed or the food?"

"The food…"

"Free. One of the guys here owes me." He said simply. I decided I wasn't going to press on the issue further, and Joel didn't seem too interested in elaborating for me anyway. I just hoped he wasn't going to get in any trouble.

"I still stand by what I said. I can't eat all of this. It's too much. And even if I could eat it all, I wouldn't. It's not healthy."

"You keep talking, it's gonna go cold. Eat what you can now, okay?"

Joel's voice was softer. I could hear concern in his tone. It was what I needed more than the food. Just someone who'd listen.

I smiled. "Yeah, alright…"

* * *

I let out a gross moan of content, slouching back in my seat. The activity in the McDonald's had quietened down. We'd sat through the after-school crowd, and it was just about time for the after-work crowd to come in.

"So… what's wrong?" Joel asked, watching me wipe my face with a paper napkin.

"Nothing…" I groaned.

Joel sighed. "Really? You just ate almost three times what I normally get, and you didn't say anything the whole time."

"Well I figured if I ate, I wouldn't have to talk…" I mumbled.

"C'mon, dude. What's up? Something's on your mind." He said, almost observantly. I might've given something away in the way I looked at him, because he continued. "Those plans you had, the ones that got canceled. What were they?"

I sighed. Joel had spent more money on food for me in a single meal than I spend on myself over the course of a week. I figured that I at least owed him an explanation of why I was so upset.

"I was gonna take Luna to see a musical tonight. You know the one with the Dark Magician Girl? Anyway, she called about two hours ago and canceled. She said she was busy."

Joel sighed, and for a second, I thought he was going to give me some advice. "Damn it, man. A musical? Really?! Just wait until the movie comes out. The movies are _always_ better. Rock of Ages had Tom Cruise and a totally fuckable Julianne Hough in it. And that goes for TV shows as well. Have you seen the Community movie? _Way_ better than the sixth season."

"Does it really matter _what_ we were planning to do?" I asked.

"Yes." Joel said matter-of-factly. "Because musicals are _gay_."

"Well you can thank Taze for that. He was the one that got the tickets."

A short laugh slipped out of Joel. "Knew it…" he muttered.

"You know what sucks though? I didn't hear anything from Luna for the _whole_ week, and then she finally does call, and she _cancels_ on me." I explained.

"She's just a kid. Don't worry about it."

"She's not just a kid," I insisted. "I mean, okay, she might be a kid in terms of age, but she's way more mature and intelligent than other kids her age."

"You… _know_ a lot of _kids_ , do you?"

I sighed. "N-no, Joel, that's not what I mean. She's just so all there that honestly, when I talk to her, sometimes I forget she's a kid. I'm really lucky to have her as a friend."

"Right…"

"But it's just not like her to just… up and cancel things." I continued to press on, even though I'm sure Joel was paying the absolute minimum attention to what I was saying. "I know I'm probably making a bigger deal about this than I should but… I don't know… I was just really looking forward to it…"

Joel shrugged. "Maybe she had a ton of homework, or didn't realize how late it was going to be afterwards. Maybe she just didn't know how to say 'no'."

I thought back to my time spent with Luna, specifically over the past few months, and everything that she'd said to me.

_I still want you around… I think you're great just the way you are…!_

_I wouldn't trade you for anyone…_

_Maybe we could… go out again sometime…?_

And then I thought about me, and everything I'd said to her.

_I know that I barely show you how much I appreciate you, so I wanted to get you something just to say 'thank you'._

_I wanted to have all my issues sorted out before I saw you guys again…_

_C'mon, Luna. Please. I owe you this…_

With her, I seemed to be insistent with everything. The chocolates, paying for lunch, and now forcing her to take a ticket to a musical. Maybe she'd just had enough…

I looked over at Joel, a much more somber expression on my face. "You're right… I'm too insistent. And I guess, with how I've been and how she's seen me… maybe she thought that saying 'no' would hurt my feelings."

"There we go then. Problem solved." Joel smiled, satisfied by the conclusion we'd come to.

"Well, not really…" I begged to differ. "Knowing this doesn't stop me from being depressed."

Joel nodded. "True, although there are things you can do to feel better. Things you can take."

I shook my head. "No, no. Medication did not work for me at all…"

"I'm not talking about those prescription drugs made up of all that chemical bullshit."

"So you mean-"

"Weed. Yes." Joel said, lowering his voice.

I sighed. "Nah, dude, I don't really feel comfortable doing that."

"Just 'cause it's illegal?"

"No…" I cringed, forcing air out my nose. "I just don't want anything screwing with my mind anymore."

"You know we have cannabinoid receptors in our brain. We wouldn't have those if we weren't meant to smoke weed."

"I don't believe you…" I muttered.

"It's true. Google it. Hell, _Fresh_ _Eye_ it, and you'll find it."

"I'm too lazy to look it up…" I groaned. "But you're saying that, it might actually _help_ me, if I started taking cannabis?"

"It _might_ … I mean, I _do_ have some on me, and… You can try it if you want. If you like it, there you go. If you don't, well that's okay too. But trust me…" Joel smiled, leaning forward. "You'll _love_ it…"

Luna's words repeated again in my head.

_Maybe we could… go out again sometime…?_

_I can't go out with you tonight… I've got better things I need to do with my time…_

I looked down at the dry, sticky, tiled floor. It would've been okay for me to at least _try_ it, surely. It was as Joel said. I could try it once, and if I didn't like it, I could stop at any time. It wasn't like anything bad was going to happen. And even if it did, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Okay, well… Let's just say for a second that I might, _hypothetically_ , be interested. We can't just do it here. Where would we go?"

"I know the perfect place…" Joel grinned.

* * *

It was far later than I'd wanted it to be, later than I'd planned to even be out. The moon was one of only two lights in my vicinity. I clung to the back of Joel as we walked through the bushland, Joel holding a battery-operated torch to combat the darkness. "Okay. This spot's good."

I'd given up on caring about my suit getting ruined, sand and grime now sticking to the backside of my pants as I sat down in it with a rather indifferent thud.

"Are you sure this is a good spot?" I whispered. "What if someone finds us?"

"No one's gonna find us!" Joel assured. "You don't need to whisper either."

"But this is near the crater! You know, the one that the thing crashed into last week. The meteor. There might still be Public Security people hanging around the area."

Joel sighed. "Trust me, we're the only people here…"

Joel reached around, setting his backpack down in front of him, quickly unzipping it and pulling out all sorts of smoking apparatuses, along with a small bag of cannabis.

Joel eagerly opened the bag of cannabis. "What do you wanna try out? The pipe, the bong, or the vaporizer?"

"What's the easiest?" I asked.

Joel laughed, his tone coming across as if my question was stupid. "We'll try out the bong first, okay?"

Joel filled the bong halfway with water, before taking three pinches of cannabis and placing it in the cone piece.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Alright, just place your finger over the shotty, and when I say, just breathe it in and hold it."

"What's the shotty?"

"The small hole here." Joel pointed at the hole that was about a third of the way down the bong near the mouthpiece. "Also, make sure that when you're almost out of breath, you take your finger off the shotty to clear all the smoke from the bong."

"For how long am I supposed to hold it? My breath, I mean…"

"A few seconds. Actually, you don't need to hold it in at all, 'cause the THC is absorbed into your lungs pretty much straight away, but I always hold it a couple of seconds for good measure. Here, I'll light it for you."

Joel struck the flint of the lighter with his thumb, pressing on the gas as the flame sparked and danced. Hovering the lighter over the cone piece, Joel spoke again. "Alright. Breathe in now…"

I did as I was told, taking the bong and raising the mouthpiece to my lips, pursing them. Without giving myself a chance to prepare, I breathed in as quickly as I could, taking the horrible-tasting smog into my body. I held it there for as long as I could, eyes tightly shut. My head was spinning, lungs burning.

Eventually though, I had to release, but what started as a gentle exhale, quickly turned into a violent cough. "Oh, _God_! Is it _always_ like this?" I spluttered.

"Go again…" Joel simply said, offering me another hit of the bong.

* * *

I wasn't sure how much cannabis I'd done. I'd lost count of the amount of hits I'd done after an hour had passed.

I sat across from Joel, a big grin on his face, his eyes a deep red. I'd been silent for some time, just going over things in my head. I hadn't planned for the night to go how it did, and I realized that with what had happened and what I ended up doing, I would have much rather gone to see Jewel of the Sage with Luna than do illegal drugs during the dead of the night.

"Joel, can I ask you something?" I spoke softly.

"Sure you can." He smiled.

"Am I unlikable? Like, is that why Luna canceled our plans?"

"Dude, c'mon! Don't be like that! You're gonna have a bad trip!" Joel insisted.

"No. I'm being serious!" I whined. "Like, if we weren't family, if you didn't know me, would you hang out with me?"

"Of course I would, man. You're like my best buddy, and stuff…" he smiled, his grin never faltering.

"Really? 'cause I think, like, with the money and stuff you gave me, and now doing this… like, it's out of pity and stuff…"

"Well… dude… nah… see, the thing is…"

I quickly shushed Joel, the sound of voices, other people's voices, filling my ears. "Do you hear that…?" I asked, looking around nervously for some Public Security officers.

"Nah, bro, I don't hear a thing…" Joel mumbled.

Whoever's voices I could hear, they weren't speaking. They were laughing. I looked around, the trunks of the trees surrounding us now possessing almost demonic features. Bloodshot eyes, thin lips with overlapping fangs.

It wasn't their frightening expressions that got me. It was their laughter. Their incessant, unrelenting laughter. They could sense my sadness, I know they could. Eventually, some of their laughter ceased, however it was only to be replaced by the taunting of words I'd heard all before. Or rather, seen.

_I think you need to be committed to an institution…_

_I hate the person you've become…_

_Fucking weirdo…_

Hearing it spoken, even by some demonic trees, made me feel more worthless than I'd ever felt before.

My muscles tensed. "Shut up!" I shouted. "Shut the fuck up!" I jumped to my feet, anger rising as I took a swing at one of the faces, inadvertently taking a dive, and falling on my stomach.

"Alright, I think that's enough for you. C'mon, let's go…" Joel cautioned, helping me up as I scrounged around on the ground. The laughter began again, and I wanted to cry. With Joel's assistance, I picked myself up off the ground, a complete and utter wreck, Joel quickly packing everything away in his bag as he led us out of the bushland. The laughter soon turned into an uproar, and every tree we ran by had its eyes focused only on me.

Eventually, the two of us made it out of the bushland and into the clearing, my footsteps heavy and infrequent. I could see our Duel Runners parked up ahead. I stopped, breathing hoarsely as I groaned. "Joel, wait…!" I begged.

He stopped moving too, turning around to look at me, no doubt noticing my tear-stained eyes. "Yeah, what is it?"

"…I have to pee."

* * *

I awoke to a feeling of discomfort, pain shimmering across my back as faint sunlight came in from the window. I groaned. I didn't have a headache, nor did I feel like throwing up. I just felt really out of it, as if everything was a dream.

I groaned again, rolling onto my side, and then my stomach, pushing up against the futon I'd been sleeping on in Joel's living room. All but dragging my feet along the ground, I walked through to Joel's bedroom, knocking softly on the door.

A few moments passed before the door opened as Joel smiled, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hey, buddy…" Joel greeted softly. "How're ya feelin'?"

I groaned. "Foggy…"

"Do you remember anything about last night?"

"Y-yeah, I… I do." I sighed. "The… the trees and…" I trailed off. I wanted to leave. I couldn't stand how I'd acted, how I felt the night before. I couldn't even _believe_ I would've done something so stupid! It had all been a big mistake, and I wished I had've never even tried smoking cannabis. I walked back into the living room. Joel followed me.

"Dude, honestly, I am _so_ sorry about what happened." Joel apologized. "Next time, we'll do it here instead. It's a safe environment, there's TV, and-"

"No." I cut Joel off, as firmly as I could with my haziness. "I'm done. Once is enough for me."

"But, it was just that you had a bad trip. If we do it again, in a better environment, I think that-"

"Joel, I said 'no', _okay_? I'm not doing it again. You can keep doing it if you want, that's your choice, but please… respect my choice that once is enough."

I patted myself down to find my phone, freaking out a little as I couldn't feel it on me. I sighed once I saw it resting on Joel's coffee table. I walked over and picked it up, checking the time.

Twelve minutes past seven.

I slid my phone into my pocket, incredibly surprised to find that when I looked up, Joel was standing across from me.

"You wanna know why _I_ think you had a bad trip? It's 'cause you're so negative all the time, and you hate yourself. Even if you try not to show it, or tell other people, deep down inside, you hate yourself. What weed does is it brings out those emotions that you would normally suppress in everyday life. The problem lies with _you_ , not with the weed. So _stop_ bottling up your self-hatred and _just_ _stop_ _hating_ _yourself_!"

I could see the anger clear on Joel's face. I simply sighed, licking my lips. "If you were me… wouldn't you hate yourself…?"

"Tyler-"

"And even if I didn't, and you didn't, that doesn't make a difference. The bottom line is, smoking marijuana is illegal, and I was an _idiot_ for trying it!"

"Of _course_ _you'd_ call it by its _propaganda_ name!" Joel protested angrily.

"Cannabis! Pot! Weed! Dope! Whatever the fuck you want to call it! I never should have _fucking_ _done_ it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go home, take a shit, have a shower, brush my teeth and go to bed."

"No, Tyler, wait! I need to-"

"I don't want to hear it! You can say anything you like, but you're not gonna change my mind! I made the second-worst decision of my _life_ last night, and now I just feel like absolute shit _again_." I turned away, almost gasping for air. "I'm sorry. I know that you probably only want what's best for me, but trust me, I think it's best for me if I just go home and get some sleep, try and forget everything I did last night."

Joel pinched between his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, letting out a lengthy sigh. "Fine. Go."

I took one last look at Joel, his grievance clear on his face, and I turned, walking out the door to his apartment.

* * *

I sat down on my bed with a thud, wiping my eyes and running my fingers down my face. I'd had a shower a few minutes ago, and I was much cleaner, and I generally felt a lot better too, now donning a loose-fitting red T-shirt and shorts as I got ready for bed.

I still didn't know what I was going to do about the whole Luna thing. I knew that doing nothing wouldn't accomplish anything, but I still wasn't in any state to go around to her place or make a phone call or anything like that. I thought if I took some time to sleep, I'd be in a better frame of mind when I woke up, and maybe then I could try and figure out what had been going on, and what I was going to say to her.

Unfortunately, I'd have to stay up for a little bit longer, as I got a knock at my door. I almost jumped off the bed and headed out to open the front door. Assuming it was Joel on the other side, I'd already started speaking as I opened the door.

"Look, I don't know how you found out where I live, but-" I stopped, surprised that it was Leo, not Joel, who was standing on the other side of the door. "Oh… Hi, Leo."

Leo's outfit also took me by surprise. He was wearing the clothes he always seemed to wear, sure, but he also wore a blue helmet with a tinted visor, and he had elbow pads, shoulder pads and gloves on too. His Duel Disk was fashioned to his left arm, and he was resting some sort of skateboard between his right hand and his hip.

A thought crossed my mind. I thought that maybe Leo had come over to apologize on Luna's behalf for canceling our plans, but that didn't explain why Leo was dressed how he was. I wasn't even sure if Leo knew about what happened between Luna and me, and I didn't feel comfortable bringing it up.

"Hey, Tyler!" He smiled. "Check out what Yusei made me!" he said, letting his board hit the floor as he put a foot on top of it. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it's um…" I swallowed. "What is it…?"

"It's a long story. You know how Luna had a thing for Sly, right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Well you're not gonna believe this… on Monday, a new student transferred into our class, Lester, and everyone was going on about how he's such a great Duelist and he's so nice and that he's awesome, but he's _totally_ not! Anyway, Lester invited Luna to his house yesterday after school, 'cause I got held back but I really didn't and-"

"Wait, _what_?! After school?" I asked. Leo nodded.

It came at me all at once. There was no slow revelation, just a simple fact staring me in the face: Luna canceled her plans with me to hang out with this Lester kid. I was her second choice. It was that simple. It might have sounded like I was being unreasonably angry, jealous or petty, but…

_I've got better things I need to do with my time._

I just didn't realize that Luna hated spending time with me _that_ much. I mean, I understood that I could be, and most of the time _was_ , a perpetual downer, but to be left high and dry like that, especially by someone that I cared for _so_ much, it just hurt. And I probably didn't react in the best way when it came to Leo either.

"Okay, _wow_ , well, _thank_ _you_ , Leo, for dropping by, but I need to go to bed before I do something I regret." I said, going to shut the door.

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't finish telling you what happened!" Leo protested.

"Look, Leo, it's nothing to do with you. I'm just not feeling the best at the moment, okay?" I sighed. "You can tell me about it tomorrow-"

"No! Tyler, listen, please!" Leo begged.

I sighed. "What?"

"That's why I came here. See, I wanted to get some practice in on this Duel Board. Lester gave one to Luna, and I think there's something wrong with him. Not _wrong_ with him! _About_ him!" He corrected. "See, I followed them to his place after school. He lives in a mansion. And he _gave_ Luna a Duel Board, and he tried to get her to Turbo Duel him. So I asked Yusei to make me one, and he did, but I need practice on it, and see… both Yusei and Crow are working today, Jack won't Duel me, and I can't tell Akiza about what's been happening because I don't think _she'll_ believe me either!"

"That's very… circumstantial…" I muttered. I blinked a few times. "So, you want me to what…? Duel you?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah! Well… not right away… I haven't actually _ridden_ this thing yet. Would you know of any places we could go so I can get some practice first?"

"Well I doubt we could get permission to go down to the stadium with what you've got. I-I mean, is that thing licensed?"

"Ah… well, no…"

"Maybe one of the practice lanes then. It's got safety cones, fencing. If we stayed down one end, I think we'll be fine. It's got a pretty good view too."

"Cool! Let's go!" Leo cheered.

"Wait, _now_?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

"Well I, um… I'd very much prefer it if we went some other time. I don't feel-"

"No! We gotta go _today_! I need to get as much practice in as I can before Monday! C'mon, Tyler! _Please_!"

"Alright," I caved. "Just promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Don't do drugs, okay?"

* * *

I stood at the far end of Practice Lane C11 next to my Duel Runner, watching Leo ride around on his Duel Board. He'd gotten off to a pretty rough start, obviously finding it pretty difficult to ride for his first time. He'd fallen over a couple of times too, but he insisted to me that he was fine, and that he didn't need me to help.

He'd just done this pretty awesome flip, and I couldn't help but smile.

"That was awesome, Leo!" I praised, applauding him.

"Yeah!" Leo shouted, pumping one of his fists into the air. I watched with alarm as his cheerful expression faded and he skidded to a stop across from me.

"Is something wrong, Leo?" I asked.

"Luna…" Leo muttered. "How'd you find us?"

My eyes widened and I turned behind me as I watched Luna approach. She was wearing a similar outfit to Leo, but pink, and instead of her hair coming out the back of the helmet like Leo's ponytail did, Luna's pigtails came out both sides of the helmet.

I was incredibly surprised to see her. I hadn't planned for it. And I still wasn't sure what I was going to say. Though, from the expressions on both Leo and Luna's faces, I could tell that Luna hadn't come to see me.

"Yusei told me everything. How he built you that Duel Board, how you want to take Lester on in a Turbo Duel."

"And…?"

"Well… you want to win against Lester, don't you?"

"O-of _course_ I do!"

Luna nodded. "Okay then… I'll support you."

"R-really?!" Leo asked.

"Of course. We're family, so we should support each other, even if we're doing things the other doesn't agree with." Luna glanced over at me.

"Awesome!" Leo shouted.

"I just need to talk to Tyler about something first, okay?" Luna said. Leo nodded, before starting to move on his Duel Board again.

Luna turned and walked over to me. As she came closer, I could hear her uneven breathing.

Part of me didn't want her to be the one who started the conversation, as I feared it would mean that she was the one directing it. That she was the one who had the control. It would've been the same as last time, and I couldn't have that.

"So…" I started, as cooly as possible, not even making eye contact with Luna. "Leo told me you… spent yesterday at a friend's house."

"That's right. I did."

I nodded just a little. "Well I hope you had a good time."

"I, um… I _didn't_ , actually. I would have rather spent time with you."

I raised an eyebrow, finally turning to Luna. "Same here."

"Well… Why'd you call and cancel then?" Luna asked.

"What?! I didn't call and cancel!"

"Yes you did!" Luna insisted. "After school!"

"You called _me_! I was on my way to your place! I bought a suit and everything!" I insisted. "I was on my way there, and then you called and said 'don't bother coming'. I ended up spending the night hanging out with Joel doing… regretful adult things… Look, I'll call Joel and you can talk to him. He'll tell you everything!"

"I don't want to talk to your stepbrother, I want to understand why you lied, and why you said what you said."

"But I didn't. Listen, Luna, why would I cancel if I was the one who offered in the first place?"

"I-"

"I know that you probably think of me as some messed up guy who doesn't do what he should and doesn't listen, even to himself, but I'm not a liar, Luna. You have to believe me."

Leo skidded to a stop next to us. "Hey! What's the deal with all this bickering?!" he asked.

Luna sighed.

"We're having a disagreement over what happened yesterday. Luna says I called her after school and canceled out plans, and I got a call from her while I was on my way to your place and she canceled." I explained.

"When was this?" Leo asked.

"Yesterday, Leo…" Luna groaned.

"And Lester invited you to his place yesterday, didn't he?"

"Yes!" Luna groaned once more, turning to me. "I wasn't going to go to Lester's because I had plans with _you_ , but then I got a call from _you_ after school, telling me that you're canceling because you had things you needed to do!"

"Something similar happened to me!" Leo shouted. "Yeah, during recess, Miss Bartlet came up to me and asked me to stay behind after school, and so I waited after school for her for an hour, and then she came by and told me to go home, like she had no idea why I was waiting for her."

"Wait, really?" I asked.

"Yeah! It… It must be Lester! He's up to something!" Leo shouted.

"It's not Lester, Leo." Luna instantly dismissed.

"Look, I _know_ it probably doesn't make any sense, but how else do you explain what happened between the two of you?! You had plans with each other, and when you told Lester about it, Tyler just so happened to cancel. Not only that, but _I_ get called back to stay after class that same day, and then it's like she doesn't even remember asking me!"

"Luna," I interjected. "You have to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you, intentionally or otherwise. I was really, honestly, truthfully looking forward to the two of us spending time together."

"Well, okay… Maybe there's been some sort of miscommunication, but that doesn't mean it's got anything to do with Lester!" Luna said.

"I was right that Sly was bad news, but you didn't believe me. I don't want the same thing to happen again." Her brother stated.

Luna guided her Duel Board onto the lane, gently resting one of her feet against it. "Sly was different, Leo. He was a jerk."

"They're _both_ jerks!" Leo retorted.

"You're overreacting! It's not like he's going to steal me away or anything!" Luna's head jerked down at her feet. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Leo asked. I looked down and saw that Luna's feet had been locked into place by the Duel Board.

"My legs… I… I can't get them out of the Duel Board. They're stuck."

"Okay. Let's not panic." I cautioned. "There's probably a switch or something on the back." Suddenly, Luna's Duel Board came to life, the motor starting to spin as it took off rather quickly down the lane. "H-hey!" I shouted.

"Luna!" Leo yelled, his sister quickly going out of sight. "Tyler, we have to go after her!"

I nodded, getting on my Duel Runner and taking off as soon as I could. My Duel Runner obviously had more grunt than Luna's Duel Board, so I was easily able to catch up to Luna, though she was still moving. "Luna!" I called.

"Tyler! My Duel Board! It's moving on its own!" she cried. "I-I can't stop it!"

I could hear a sinister laugh from someone behind me. I turned back to see a young boy with long auburn hair dressed in white, his eyes obscured by his helmet's visor, sporting a Duel Board of his own.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The boy smirked, gaining speed and closing the gap between Luna and I. "You and I are going to Duel now." He said to Luna. I watched as he seemed to pull a Duel Disk out of thin air, but this one was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It seemed like it was made out of light or energy or something.

The boy's Duel Disk whipped out and struck me in the shoulder. I flinched, losing control of my Runner as my speed decreased. "Who the fuck?!" I cringed. Regaining control of my Runner, I decreased its speed more gently to match that of Leo's Duel Board. "Leo, do you know who that guy is?" I asked.

"I have a hunch…" he muttered. "C'mon, we have to save Luna! Full throttle!" Leo sped up as quickly as he could, reaching what seemed to be his maximum speed in a matter of seconds. I on the other hand just flew past Leo, fully intent on saving Luna from whoever the boy seemed to be.

The mystery boy was right at the front of our little group, followed by Luna, then myself, and finally Leo.

"So what's it gonna be?" He asked. "If you don't want to Duel, that's fine. I'll just pull you into the ocean! Either way, you'll die!"

I watched as Luna connected her Duel Disk to her Duel Board, the Momentum lighting up at the disk's base. I sighed. There was no other way, and Luna knew that.

"There's no way you're hurting my sister!" I heard Leo shout, quickly coming up to match my speed, which surprised me. "I won't let you! You'll be _my_ opponent!"

"The girl is who I'm after, but if you want to join in her fate, that's fine with me."

My mind was brought back to that moment all those months ago at the Monkey's Control Unit. Seeing Leo in that state after Dueling Devack made my stomach churn and my blood boil. We were being faced with a similar situation, and I couldn't let the twins go up against this guy, even if I had've been arguing with Luna mere moments beforehand.

"You'll have to get through me too!" I shouted.

"Tyler…!" Luna mumbled.

"Fine. That just means all _three_ of you will die!" the boy shouted, drawing a card from his deck. "I activate Speed World 2!" Placing the card into his Duel Disk, it was as if an earthquake happened on command. I felt the lane, the ground, shifting ahead of us incredibly easily.

Blasted across the proceedings, we could hear the voice of a young man informing everyone else that a Turbo Duel was about to begin, instructions to vacate both the current lane and adjacent lanes being read out in a pre-recorded message. Guard blocks with screens popped out the sides of the lane, each reading ' _DUEL-LANE 528432-H_ ' across them.

A blinding light ripped across the road and stretched out behind me. Up ahead, I saw one of the barricades to the Combat Lane open as Luna and our opponent went in. I took my last turn to follow before the auto-pilot kicked in. "Here we go…" I muttered.

The boy laughed again. "It's time…! Turbo Duel! Accelerate!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 12000 LP, 0 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 0 SPC]

"Come on!" the boy smirked, turning back to Luna. "Let's see what you've got!"

"I've never done a Turbo Duel before! What do I do?!" Luna panicked.

"Just stay calm! Think through your moves, and you'll be fine!" I assured her.

"Tyler's right!" Leo smiled. "Remember, you guys defeated Devack!"

"O-okay!" Luna shouted, drawing from her deck. "I Summon Bird of Roses in Attack Position!" A giant green bird with three roses sticking out of its wings and head respectively, took its place on Luna's field [ATK: 1000].

"That it?" the boy snickered. "My turn then!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 12000 LP, 3 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 1 SPC]

"I Summon Absurd Stealer!" he shouted. I watched as this weird purply-gold thing appeared on the field. It looked like a machine, so I had to assume it was a Machine-Type, and that this guy was playing a Machine Deck [ATK: 100]. "When it's Summoned, I can target a monster, reduce its Attack Points to zero, and then increase Absurd Stealer's Attack Points by the same amount."

[Absurd Stealer: ATK: 1500] [Bird of Roses: ATK: 0]

"Absurd Stealer! Attack Bird of Roses!" The machine flipped over, its blue jewel in the middle illuminating as a bright light surged out of it and into Luna's Bird of Roses, destroying it.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 10500 LP, 3 SPC]

A shockwave coursed through the lane, flinging Luna into the air. My heart jumped into my throat as I heard her scream and watched powerlessly as she began to fall to her death.

"Luna!" Leo and I both shouted.

Suddenly, a white lion seemed to come out of nowhere, jumping up to catch Luna, cushion her fall and then bring her back onto the track.

"Regulus! _Awesome_!" I smiled. Luna thanked Regulus but then winced in pain. "Luna, are you alright?" I asked.

"I… I don't know…" she cringed. "I feel…"

"Remember what I said before? About how you'd die either way?" the boy interrupted. "I wasn't kidding. In this Duel, you'll feel all the damage you take, so either fight against me with all your power, or let me grant you a quick death!"

"Real damage?" Leo asked.

"You little…" I muttered.

Luna breathed heavily. "I-I activate the effect of Bird of Roses! Since it was destroyed in Attack Position, I can bring two Plant Tuners onto the field straight from my deck. I call forth Nettles and Spore!"

In a flash of light, two monsters appeared on Luna's field. A weird weed-looking thing [Nettles: DEF: 400], and what to me looked like a green Watapon [Spore: DEF: 800].

"Fine. I'll place three cards face-down and end my turn." The boy sighed.

[Absurd Stealer: ATK: 100]

"Okay! My turn…!" I shouted, drawing a card from my deck.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 10500 LP, 6 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 2 SPC]

"I Summon Butcher Bulb in Defense Position!" [DEF: 600]

The thing looked like something out of a fairy tale, or at least, part of the top half did. Once you'd notice that she was gripping a serrated knife or that the bottom half of her was a plant, it looked more like something out of a nightmare, and the illusion would be dispelled. Unfortunately, because Luna already had monsters on her field, I couldn't activate its effect, but I didn't have any other monsters in my hand I could play. I was also worried about those cards our opponent had. I mean, they were obviously Trap Cards. He wasn't fooling anyone. I just had to find a way around them before it was too late.

"I'll end my turn by placing two cards face-down." I said, setting two traps of my own – Magic Cylinder and Invisible Wire – into play.

"I'll make you regret hurting my sister, you…!" Leo shouted to the other boy. "My turn!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 10500 LP, 9 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 3 SPC]

"From my hand, I Summon Morphtronic Videon!" A four-winged robot appeared on Leo's field, before taking up a pose [ATK: 1000]. "And next, I activate the Equip Spell called Double Tool C&D!"

My eyes widened. "Leo! _Don't_!" I shouted, but it was too late. As Leo placed the card down on his Duel Disk, the yellow light which came from the card's solid vision dissipated and blew back against Leo.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 8500 LP, 9 SPC]

"Leo!" Luna shouted.

"Are you okay?!" I asked.

"…What happened?" Leo groaned, regaining his composure. It was a wonder he was still upright and moving.

"You take two thousand damage if you play a regular Spell Card, remember?" I reminded him.

"Ah! I didn't know! I'm so sorry!" Leo apologized.

"We can't do anything about it now. Besides, Double Tool's effect is activated regardless. Just be careful next time, alright?" I cooed.

"R-right! And Videon's ability activates too, which gives him eight hundred attack for each equipped card!" [Morphtronic Videon: ATK: 2800]. "Videon! Attack Absurd Stealer!" Leo shouted.

"You triggered my trap!" our opponent shouted. "Reveal! Exus Summon!" A card rose up from the boy's field, a light illuminating from its image as Absurd Stealer disappeared. "I return my Absurd Stealer to my hand, and in its place, I Summon my Sky Core!" Throwing the card down on his Duel Disk, an incredibly strange egg-shaped monster appeared next to Leo, who seemed rather perplexed at its attack power [ATK: 0]. "Next, I activate Torrential Tribute, to destroy all monsters on the field!"

My eyes widened as the boy's card flipped up, an ocean rising up out of the card's image and washing all of our monsters away. The twins though, seemed more surprised than I did that our opponent willingly destroyed his own Sky Core as well.

"What was that for? Why'd ya destroy your own monster?" Leo asked.

"Because _now_ ," the auburn kid shouted. "I can Summon _these_! Meklord Emperor Skiel! Skiel Top! Skiel Attack! Skiel Guard! And Skiel Carrier!"

It all happened way too quick for me to process. In one moment, our opponent had his entire field cleared. The next, it was filled again. "No way!" Leo shouted as the three of us looked up at the slew of machine parts in the sky. "He Summoned a bunch of monsters in one turn!"

"I activate Meklord Emperor Skiel's special effect!" our opponent shouted, thrusting his arm forward. I watched in horror as each of the machine parts came together, eventually creating one giant dragon-like monster that towered over the twins and I [Meklord Emperor Skiel: ATK: 2200].

I froze up, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. I was completely at the mercy of both this kid and his gigantic monster, but then I remembered Yusei's Duel with the Ghost. The Ghost had Summoned a monster with a similar name before, but I couldn't remember anything else.

I was so afraid, I couldn't even sweat. I'd been foolish to brush away the feeling I had at the crash site. I looked to my side, watching both Kuribon and Regulus traveling beside Luna. "You need to be careful!" Regulus warned. "I can sense a dangerous power coming from him!"

Regulus wasn't the only one. I could feel it too. Whatever Yusei was feeling against the Ghost, I was surely feeling that too, but… It was like I could also see into Meklord Emperor Skiel, but there was nothing but darkness. "That thing…! It's… just wanting to kill…" I muttered, my eyes not leaving the infinity symbol resting in the monster's void.

My blood ran cold.

Our opponent was riding backwards at this point, no doubt his gaze focusing on all of us for a brief moment. "I can see it in all of you!" he laughed. "The _fear_! If you want to surrender, I won't blame you!"

"I'll _never_ surrender to _you_!" Leo shouted. "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

My eyes refocused on the traps I'd set during my turn, which made me feel a little better, but it didn't stop my heart from racing.

"My turn!" Luna shouted.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 8500 LP, 12 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 4 SPC]

I frowned watching Luna's expression change, the bravery she'd displayed before drawing quickly disappearing.

"I don't have anything I can play…" Luna mumbled. "I pass my turn…"

The boy laughed. "My turn! My turn!" he shouted.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 8500 LP, 12 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 5 SPC]

"I activate Speed Spell - Speed Jammer! Now, since I have more than two Speed Counters, you lose six of yours."

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 8500 LP, 6 SPC]

"Damn it…" I muttered.

"Next, I reveal my face-down card! Trap Stun!" the boy threw his hand out once more, a card opening up beside him. "Until the end of this turn, all traps are negated!" he shouted. I watched as our set cards reappeared on the field briefly before being grayed out. "Now…! Meklord Emperor Skiel! Attack Leo directly!"

The massive machine turned to focus its attention entirely on Leo, and before he could react, Skiel's gun was raised, a red ball of energy flying out of it and striking Leo down, creating a small explosion which obscured our view of him.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 6 SPC]

"Leo!" Luna shouted.

Somehow, the smoke managed to hang around Leo, but when it cleared, we saw that he was fine, if a little bit bruised. "I'm okay…" Leo breathed.

"I hope you enjoyed that, because there's more pain coming your way on my next turn! I'll set two cards and that'll be all for now…" the boy started laughing again.

I'd had enough. To me it didn't matter who we were fighting. I wasn't gonna let some random kid push me around, and I _certainly_ wasn't going to let him hurt the twins. Not while I was still alive and kicking!

"Okay, that's _it_!" I shouted. "My turn!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 9 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 6 SPC]

"I activate Speed Spell - Shift Down!" I yelled, throwing the card into play. "By removing six Speed Counters, I get to draw two cards from my deck!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 3 SPC]

I turned to Leo. "Leo, can I use your Graveyard?"

"Uh… sure."

"Thanks! Alright, I Summon Blade Serpent in Attack Position!" In a burst of light, the coils of a snake flew overhead, slowly retreating to my side. The top half of him red, sporting two saws on his human-like arms, his only human features, and the bottom half of him a purplish pink [ATK: 1700]. "Next, I activate the effect of Chaos Sorcerer in my hand. I banish Butcher Bulb and Morphtronic Videon to bring Chaos Sorcerer to the field!" Both Butcher Bulb and Morphtronic Videon appeared on the field, before turning into spheres of darkness and light respectively.

The spheres pulsed and merged together, a warm and yet chilling glow enveloping the area. Slowly the mass began to take shape, before bursting forth, a mighty magician clad in iron and leather taking the field [ATK: 2300].

"That it…?" the boy mulled, before laughing. His laugh was _really_ starting to piss me off! "I activate Bottomless Trap Hole! Sorry, but your monsters are going _exactly_ where the others are!"

"Not quite." I smiled. "I play Blade Serpent's ability, which allows me to sacrifice it to negate the effect of your Trap Card!" I would've liked to think my opponent's eyes had widened in surprise behind that visor of his, but I couldn't be sure. Blade Serpent began to glow as the Bottomless Trap Hole card rose up, and then shattered, Blade Serpent disappearing in a flash of green. "Now I use Chaos Sorcerer's effect! I can target a monster you control and banish it from the Duel! I choose your Meklord Emperor Skiel!"

Chaos Sorcerer formed two balls of energy in each of his hands, one white magic, the other black magic, before bringing his hands together and combining them, a pulsating sphere of chaos energy resulting.

With a smirk, Chaos Sorcerer threw the ball of energy at our opponent's Meklord Emperor. I watched in dismay, however, as the energy fizzled out upon contact with the machine, leaving it completely unharmed and still present on the field.

The boy laughed again. "You _really_ think that Meklord Emperor Skiel can be _targeted_ by _card_ _effects_?! I think it's time I knocked the two of you non-Signers down a peg! I reveal Raigeki Break!"

My eyes went wide as I watched our opponent discard a card to the Graveyard. A bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck my Chaos Sorcerer, destroying him.

And there I was. My bravado was gone, and I was right back to how I was a few turns ago. Fearful of how the Duel was going to end. "I end my turn…!" I breathed.

"Tyler…" Luna muttered.

"My turn! I draw!" Leo shouted. "Time for our comeback."

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 6 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 7 SPC]

"I Summon Morphtronic Celfon in Attack Position!" Leo shouted, the robotic-looking cell phone appearing next to him [ATK: 100]. "Next I activate Celfon's ability! He dials a number from one to six, and I pick up the resulting number of cards from my deck and Summon a Morphtronic monster from what I've picked up." The numbers on Celfon's dial-pad illuminated quickly one after the other, before eventually stopping on three. "Now I can draw three cards… and I Summon my Morphtronic Boarden from that set of cards!" A robotic skateboard with arms and legs materialized next to Leo. [DEF: 1800] "I play one card face-down! Okay, Luna! Let's do it!"

"Right!" Luna shouted, drawing her card with confidence.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 9 SPC]  
[?: 4000 LP, 8 SPC]

"I Summon Sunlight Unicorn in Attack Position!" Luna shouted, a white horned horse with blue fire as its mane taking form on the field and galloping beside Luna [ATK: 1800]. "Next I activate the effect of Spore from my Graveyard! I banish Nettles to not only Special Summon Spore from my Graveyard, but also increase Spore's level to three!"

A flash of light, and Spore returned to Luna's field, albeit this time a little bit bigger [ATK: 400, LV: 3].

"Could it be…?" the boy muttered.

"And now, I tune my Sunlight Unicorn, level four, with my Spore, level three!" Luna shouted. "Holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

Sunlight Unicorn and Spore ascended into the sky, a barrier forming around them, obscuring my view. When the barrier lifted, both monsters were gone, and Ancient Fairy Dragon, Luna's ace monster – and the guardian of the Spirit World, appeared in their place [ATK: 2100].

"It is… It's here!" he gasped.

I turned to Ancient Fairy Dragon and nodded. "Your Majesty."

"The effect of Ancient Fairy Dragon allows me to call forth a low-level monster once per turn by giving up my Battle Phase! I Special Summon Fairy Archer!" Another one of Luna's cards appeared on the field, this one a scantily-dressed female monster with deep green eyes [DEF: 300]. "Next I use the effect of Fairy Archer! I can inflict four hundred points of damage to you for each Light Attribute monster I have out on my field!"

Fairy Archer drew her weird-looking arrow against her bow, before letting the arrow loose, hitting our opponent square in his back. I wasn't prepared for the arrow to explode, and I did get a shock when that happened.

[?: 3200 LP, 8 SPC]

"Awesome…" I muttered, though I thought otherwise when the dust settled and our opponent seemed to have escaped completely unfazed.

"That tickled." He grinned, before once again breaking into laughter.

Luna groaned. "I'll set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn! Here. I. _Go_!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 6300 LP, 12 SPC]  
[?: 3200 LP, 9 SPC]

"I play Emperor Skiel's ability, so I can now absorb a Synchro Monster on my opponent's field!"

The darkness at the heart of Skiel's void turned to light, and eight tentacles slowly reached out, ensnaring Ancient Fairy Dragon. The twins and I watched breathlessly as Ancient Fairy Dragon struggled desperately to escape, but was eventually pulled inside Meklord Emperor Skiel.

"N-no…" Luna mumbled. "She can't be gone… the Ancient Fairy…"

"This is all my fault!" Leo shouted. "I can't believe I let this happen!"

"You've done nothing wrong, Leo." I comforted him. "You've done better than I have here today. But no matter what, we have to keep fighting!"

"Yes…!" the auburn boy gleefully breathed. "Fight! Keep fighting until you have nothing left!"

I watched him move to the side, riding the wall of the Combat Lane to the top and then jumping off it, circling around Leo and I for a brief moment after landing. "I knew it…" Leo muttered.

"Knew what?" I asked.

"Luna! It's Lester! From school!" Leo shouted to his sister, who turned back in shock.

"Lester?!" Luna breathed.

The boy turned back to us, the visor on his helmet disappearing, laughing once more, though instead of two eyes staring back at us, his left eye was covered by some sort of weird metal. "I thought I might be found out eventually, but I knew it wouldn't be by you, Luna!" he smirked.

"What are you saying?" Luna asked.

"I'm saying," Lester began. "I knew you wouldn't figure out what's been going on by yourself! I've been playing you for the Ancient Fairy Dragon this whole time!" Lester then turned to focus on Leo. "But _you_ were getting in the way…"

"So then…" Luna muttered, looking back to me. "You never really…? Tyler! I'm _so_ _sorry_!" Luna apologized.

"You can apologize to each other in Hell!" Lester snapped. "Now that Meklord Emperor Skiel has absorbed Ancient Fairy Dragon, Skiel's power increases by the same amount as your dragon's." [Meklord Emperor Skiel: ATK: 4300]. "Next from my hand, I activate Speed Spell - Ascension! Now until the End Phase, I don't take any damage from Speed World 2, so I'm free to activate anything I want! Like Raigeki!"

My eyes widened. I was absolutely floored that Lester not only had a copy of Ascension like I did, but he also had a powerful Spell Card like _Raigeki_ in his Deck.

"No!" Luna shouted. I watched as our entire field was cleared in an instant, once again leaving us vulnerable for an attack.

"Now I'll play Speed Spell - Summon Close! By removing three Speed Counters, and sending a card from my hand to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to draw one card from my deck. In addition, you three won't be able to Special Summon any monsters this round!"

[Lester: 3200 LP, 6 SPC]

"So that means-"

"That means I'm free to attack uncontested!" Lester grinned. "Meklord Emperor Skiel! Attack Leo directly!"

"I've got this one!" I shouted. "I activate Magic Cylinder! Let's see how you like your monster's attack being thrown back at you, you dick!"

"How dense can you _be_?!" Lester taunted. "Have you forgotten that Skiel can't be targeted by card effects? You're through!" Skiel once again charged its gun, although this time, for whatever reason, the blast was green in color. I'd ruined everything by taking the initiative and being overconfident, and although I wasn't powerful enough to stop Lester, the least I could do was save Leo!

I brought my Duel Runner out of auto-pilot, shakily trying to regain control of it as I pulled in front of Leo, intercepting the attack as best I could.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 2000 LP, 12 SPC]

For a brief moment, everything around me went black. I couldn't hear a thing either. The pain I'd felt, the physical pain, was probably the most excruciating I'd ever experienced. I had said that about a lot of other experiences too, but this time… this time was absolutely unbearable.

I went limp, my head hitting the dashboard where my cards were. I felt myself growing faint. I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn…" I heard Lester say. There was no doubt he'd shouted it as we'd all been doing, but his words weren't quite reaching me.

"I…" I mumbled. I had to do something. I couldn't just lie down and die.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 2000 LP, 12 SPC]  
[Lester: 3200 LP, 7 SPC]

I reached up, switching my Runner back on to auto-pilot as my eyes widened, absolutely terrified of seeing my charred skin. That alone was enough to beat any last bit of effort or resistance out of me.

"I…I'm sorry…" I apologized. "I pass…" I breathed, slowly starting to drift off into unconsciousness despite my best efforts to stay awake.

"Aw…" Lester patronized. "Does little Tyty need to rest his eyes?"

"You monster!" Luna screeched. "You absolute unequivocal… heartless _monster_!" I could hear Luna starting to cry, and I felt even worse than I already did. "I can't believe I _ever_ thought of you as anything more than a complete jerk! You can hurt me all you want, that's fine! But when you bring Leo and _Tyler_ into this, you're crossing the line! I won't let you hurt _anyone_ _anymore_! I activate my face-down card, Simultaneous Loss! This card forces all of us to send the top card of our decks to the Graveyard!"

The speaker next to my Duel Runner's screen emitted a loud beep letting me know I had to discard from my deck. Without even opening my eyes, and fighting through the pain, I was able to retrieve the top card from my deck, and slide it into the Graveyard.

"…Alright, Leo. It's time! Finish Lester off!" Luna shouted.

"Right…"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 2000 LP, 12 SPC]  
[Lester: 3200 LP, 8 SPC]

"I Normal Summon Morphtronic Scopen!" I opened my eyes to see a giant microscope take its place next to Leo [ATK: 800]. "And then, I play Scopen's ability, so I can Special Summon a level four Morphtronic from my hand! I Special Summon Morphtronic Boomboxen!" Leo thrust his arm forward, calling out a stereo system, which quickly shifted and unhinged, become biped [ATK: 1200]. "And now I'll tune my monsters together, Scopen and Boomboxen! Called forth to protect world peace, machines combining as one! Synchro Summon, Power Tool Dragon!"

My eyelids drooped, and in the next moment I was able to focus, I saw Leo's ace monster had replaced the two he'd Summoned [ATK: 2300].

"Go for it, Leo…!" I croaked.

"I play Speed Spell - Vision Wind. So by removing two Speed Counters, I can revive my Morphtronic Lantron from my Graveyard. But I'm not done! No! I'll be tuning my Morphtronic Lantron with my Power Tool Dragon!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 2000 LP, 10 SPC]

"You _what_?!" Lester asked.

As quickly as Leo's monster appeared on the field, which he probably discarded at the end of my turn thanks to Luna, it disappeared, flowing into Power Tool Dragon. Its entire body began to shake, until finally, the machinery that made up parts of Power Tool Dragon began to crumble.

"Crimson Dragon…" I heard Leo speak. "Please give me the power to defeat Lester, avenge my friend and protect my sister…! I Synchro Summon Life Stream Dragon!"

Another roar. This one I remembered instantly, as it was unlike any other.

The Crimson Dragon.

I forced myself up into a seated position, coughing and spluttering just a little as the giant red dragon flew above us before covering Leo and his monster in a red glow.

"Leo!" Luna shouted.

As quickly as he appeared, the Crimson Dragon left again. I truthfully wasn't sure if I had actually seen him. But I knew I had. He'd left something besides a new dragon. A mark on Leo's arm. It was that mark I'd seen at Rex Goodwin's Mansion. The heart clutched in the claw of the Crimson Dragon. There was no disputing it. Whether it had always been planned, or the Crimson Dragon had just decided in the spur of the moment to give us a fighting chance, it didn't matter now.

Leo had become a Signer.

"You…! How can you just _become_ a Signer like that?!" Lester snapped. "You! _I'll_ _kill_ _you_!"

"I activate the effect of Life Stream Dragon!" Leo yelled.

I watched, and felt, in amazement as the wounds on my body began to heal. My dry, dead skin slowly becoming suppler and returning to its normal healthy glow. The stinging pain in my body slowly subsided until it was as if I'd never been attacked by Skiel.

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 4000 LP, 10 SPC]

"Next, I use Eternal Rest, destroying all monsters with equip cards! And since it doesn't target, that includes your Meklord Emperor too!" Leo shouted. I expected us to lose Life Points, as Leo had used a regular Spell Card, but as the surge of energy blew back to hit Leo, Life Stream Dragon roared and the energy parted, leaving Leo unharmed. Lester's Meklord Emperor on the other hand wasn't so lucky, shattering due to the effect of Eternal Rest, Luna's Ancient Fairy Dragon going to the Graveyard.

"My… my Skiel…" Lester muttered. "How are you _doing_ this?!"

"Finally, I use Speed Spell - Silver Contrails!" Leo shouted, thrusting his arm forward. "By giving up a Speed Counter, I can increase Life Stream Dragon's attack by one thousand!"

[Leo, Luna & Tyler: 4000 LP, 9 SPC]  
[Life Stream Dragon: ATK: 3900]

"Life Stream Dragon! Attack! Beauty Howl!" Leo's dragon lurched forward, a mighty roar escaping its jaws. A white blast of energy formed in its mouth, before letting it loose on Lester.

[Lester: 0 LP]

Life Stream Dragon let out one final roar as he faded away.

The four of our vehicles slowed to a stop, Lester across from the twins and I, a look of irritation across his face. That look soon disappeared, and Lester cracked a smile, that smile slowly turning to laughter.

"You fools!" He shouted. "Don't think that just because you won that things are going to change! This world is headed for something the likes of which you cannot comprehend! I will not be deterred by any of you! Treasure these last days while you have them!"

Lester's Duel Board sprung to life, speeding him away until he was out of sight. I sighed.

"Wow…" I breathed, turning to the twins. "Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"Okay?" Leo grinned. "I'm _better_ than 'okay'! I'm a Signer! Like I always said I was! Look! _Look_!" Leo thrust his arm out towards me, showing me the Heart Mark etched into his right arm.

"Leo… You…" I muttered, getting off my Duel Runner. "You saved my life…"

"Eh, it was nothin'." Leo assured me. "If you hadn't have taken that hit from Skiel, I wouldn't be standing here now."

"It was my fault you got attacked. I wasn't gonna let you get hurt." I turned to Luna. " _Either_ of you." My expression darkened as I noticed that Luna seemed to be really spaced out.

"Leo! Luna! Tyler!"

I turned, hearing the sound of Yusei's voice. Looking around to find him, my eyes locked onto the lane across from ours. Yusei, Jack and Akiza were seated on their Duel Runners looking over at us.

"Yusei!" Leo shouted.

"Are you guys okay?" Akiza asked.

"Oh, guys! You gotta see my Mark! It's cooler than I thought it would be, it's awesome!" Leo gushed.

"Wait, you have a Mark now?" Jack called.

"We'll make our way down to you!" Yusei shouted. "Wait there, alright?!"

Leo nodded, looking over at his sister. "Luna… You okay?" He asked quietly. "It's like you're staring off into la-la land."

My mouth opened slowly, watching tears run down Luna's cheeks.

Steam blew out of the sides of Luna's Duel Board, and before I knew what was happening, Luna raced off down the Combat Lane.

"Luna! Where are you going?!" Leo called, but Luna didn't reply. Leo clenched his right hand into a fist. "That Lester… When I see him on Monday, I'm gonna beat the crap out of him!"

"Leo, you-" I stopped, taking a long, hard breath. "You wait here for Yusei, alright? I need to… I need to go…"

* * *

I couldn't wait for Yusei and the others, not after seeing the state Luna was in. I said my goodbyes to Leo and headed over to his place, hoping to find Luna there. Rocking up to the Tops, I was greeted by the sight of Luna's Duel Board which had been smashed against the ground outside the apartment complex, more than likely in a fit of rage.

I inspected the ground. No blood, which was good. I quickly went inside, rushing into the elevator as I punched in the top floor. I was on my toes the whole time, waiting to get on Luna's floor. As the doors opened and I approached the front of her place, I could hear heavy music coming from inside, the bass drowning out whatever other instruments or vocals the song may have had.

I took off my shoes and let myself in, the volume of the music becoming much louder. I quickly made my way up the staircase to where Luna's bedroom was. I could now make out a female vocalist singing, so I assumed it was a Taylor Swift song that Luna was playing.

I knocked on Luna's bedroom door, the music getting turned down almost instantly. "Wh… who is it?" Luna called, her voice wavering.

"It's me!" I said, trying to sound happy and upbeat, but failing miserably. "Would I be able to come in?" I asked.

"If you want to…"

I opened the door slowly, my eyes instantly fixing themselves on Luna as she sat on the edge of her bed. Her eyes watering, her nose red, and her cheeks just a little bit puffy. I frowned, not at all liking what I saw.

I walked in just past the doorway, not wanting Luna to feel like I was crowding her.

"I, um… I saw your Duel Board outside." I said. "I know you probably didn't mean to break it-"

"I don't want it." Luna grumbled. " _He_ gave it to me and I don't want it. Anything that reminds me of _him_ , I don't want!"

"Okay…" I cooed, deciding to try and comfort her as best I could. Making my way over to her, I sat down beside her, watching as her tears fell from her face onto her knees.

"I just can't believe that Lester would _use_ me like that! I mean, first Sly, and now Lester! And I fell for both of them! What's _wrong_ with me?!" Luna cried, throwing her arms up in the air.

" _Hey_!" I said, taking one of her hands into mine. " _Nothing's_ wrong with you. You are a kind, gentle, caring, beautiful person. You make other people happy just by being around them. When you smile, you brighten everyone's day, and I'm not just saying that. I really do mean it."

"I'm not just upset because of Lester…" Luna mumbled. "I'm upset, because I truly believed that you were the one who called me… But it was Lester all along, however he did it… I don't know how he did it, but I should've known it wasn't you… I am _so_ sorry that you thought I canceled our plans." Luna blubbered.

I looked to Luna's bedside, grabbing a tissue to wipe away her tears. "Hey," I cooed. "Please don't beat yourself up about that. I should've realized that something was up, but I didn't. I reacted so badly to it that I just didn't take a moment to think things through." I slowly wiped around Luna's cheeks and up to her eyes, Luna reaching up and putting her hands around my arm. "It's not your fault, okay? You did nothing wrong. Lester took advantage of your kindness and the fact that you care about people. What you have isn't a weakness, Luna, it's a strength, and if everyone was like you, the world would be a much better place."

"Do you really mean that?" she asked softly, looking into my eyes.

"Of _course_ I do!" I smiled, returning her gaze with my own. "And you know what? In a way, at least you've learned that people like Lester, like Sly, they're not worth your time. People like Leo and… what are your friends at school? Patty, Dexter, the other dude… _They're_ the people that like you, that respect you. You've got a great group of friends there, and then outside of school there's Akiza, Yusei, Jack, Crow, me, and we think you're absolutely amazing." I sighed. "Look, I don't really have a handle on this whole 'positive outlook' thing yet, but I'm trying to say… People like you for who you are, I like you for who you are, because you're a great person. Don't let this thing with Lester get you down and make it define you." Slowly but surely, Luna started smiling. "There you go…" I whispered, putting an arm around her shoulder and hugging her to my side.

Luna's eyes kept on me, never leaving. Not even for a second.

I watched Luna's eyes slowly close as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine.


	12. Lovestruck Saturday Night

One moment can change everything, whether you mean it to or not.

Going up against Devack, Roman and Rex. Attempting to take my own life. Meeting up with my stepbrother Joel, and my former friend Taze. Hell, even going to the Satellite and meeting Yusei and the others. Out of everything I had done, or that I had remembered doing, it all paled in comparison to one thing, one moment:

When Luna kissed me.

The kiss might have only lasted for a second or two, maybe five at the most, but the feeling of her lips against mine lingered for much longer. Luna moved away from me slowly, her breathing shaky as she opened her eyes to meet mine, her hands moving to my chest. I wasn't even intentionally looking at her, it was just where I happened to be looking at the time.

"Luna…" I whispered to her. It was completely involuntary. I drew my eyes into focus on Luna a little better, a reddish hue on her cheeks. My mind was almost completely blank. I had no clue on what to say, and no idea on how to respond. I ended up saying the first thing that popped into my brain, and I knew right away as I said it that I should have chosen my words more carefully. "Wh… what was… what was that…?"

I felt her breath against my face, a small sound escaping from her mouth. "I… Well… Um… See, I…" Luna sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Once she opened her eyes again, they kept on mine once more. "You were just being so sweet and…" Luna smiled. "I-I think I've known for a long time that, I think of you, Tyler, a-as…"

" _As_ …?" I nodded slowly, wanting to know what Luna had to say.

The blush on her face quickly intensified. "Well… you know…"

My eyes widened. I _did_ know. Not at first, mind you. It actually took me a while to realize – more than it should have, but I remembered things that Luna had said to me previously, and as I recalled them, I saw that the words she'd spoken had whole new meanings attributed to them.

_I'll feel a lot better if you're by my side!_

_You're my hero…_

_I wouldn't trade you for anyone…_

_Maybe we could… go out again sometime…?_

"Oh…" I muttered sheepishly. "So… that night here, when you asked me never to leave you, because you said you needed me, you were…" I trailed off. Luna nodded, a small smile showing on her face. My mouth dropped open just a little, and I didn't know what to say. I felt like a complete idiot for not picking up on her signs of affection sooner. "Well, I'm… I'm _very_ flattered… I really, _truly_ am…" I took a quick breath. "Um… okay… I'm sorry. This has never happened to me before… I mean, probably not, so… I don't, um… I don't know what to say or do or-"

My rambling was cut off quickly by a large yelp escaping from Luna as she clutched her arm in distress.

"Luna, what's wrong?" I asked hurriedly.

"My arm's hurting…" She cringed. Luna groaned, clutching her arm as her Signer Mark started glowing, brighter than it had during our Duel against Lester.

The glow of her Mark intensified, eventually forcing me to shut my eyes and turn away. I felt Luna inch closer to me, and I cringed hearing an uneasy moan coming from her. When the light's intensity had died down, I opened my eyes to find that everything in my immediate view had a strange red tint to it.

It took me longer than it should have for me to realize that Luna and I were being surrounded by a bubble produced by her Signer Mark, similarly to when Rex's brother Roman brought out his Earthbound Immortal during his Duel with Yusei.

The sphere shimmered, and I instinctively reached out to touch it. The surface was firm. Absolutely no give to it. So we sat there and waited for something to happen, but nothing really did. It shimmered once more, before slowly fading away, and then it was just gone completely, along with the glow from Luna's Signer Mark.

"What was _that_ about?" I asked out loud.

"I don't know…" Luna answered, looking up at me, and then down at her arm. "It never used to hurt like _that_ …" she breathed. "And usually the bubble appears as a sort of protection, but…"

"But there's no one around… unless someone's inside…" I muttered, suddenly thinking of Lester's words in the Combat Lane now as less of an ominous warning and more of a direct threat to Luna.

I got up from Luna's bed quickly. Too quickly, and I ended up getting little white dots peppering my vision briefly, not that I really gave a crap about that. I made my way out of Luna's room. "T-Tyler…!" she called, seemingly deciding to follow me.

Against my better judgment, I said nothing, as opposed to instructing her to stay in her room and lock the door. Heading down the steps as quickly as I could without tripping, I started looking around for any potential threats, like the one's we'd faced where the bubble had protected us before. "Who's there!?" I called. Silence. Of course I knew upon saying anything that no one would answer me. No potential threat would reveal itself, lest losing the element of surprise it would have.

I kept Luna behind me as I looked around. There was someone, _something_ somewhere, watching me. Watching us. I couldn't see it but I could feel it. Their eyes, their unrelenting stare. The silence that accompanied it was almost deafening.

I held my breath as my body shook with every step. I slowly turned around the corner, Luna's hands against my back, but there was nothing in sight, except for the empty living room. I sighed, the feeling of being watched having left me, replaced instead with senseless paranoia.

The silence broke immediately as my phone sounded, a message tone, coming through the speaker and giving me a fright. I felt my heartbeat pick up as I reached into my pocket and saw the message on the screen.

From Akiza.

_Yusei's asked that you and Luna come to his place ASAP. It's important._

"What is it?" Luna asked, almost sensing my apprehension.

I turned to her. "Akiza messaged me. Yusei wants us over at Poppo Time, apparently. Says it's important."

"Well… I, um…" Luna mumbled.

"If you don't feel like going, that's fine. You've been through a lot." I spoke softly. "You deserve some time to yourself. To rest."

"I-it's not that…!" Luna wavered. "I just thought that maybe you and I… um…" she blushed again.

My breathing quickened. The kiss.

I honestly didn't know how to feel about it. It definitely wasn't something that I was going to forget about or pretend didn't happen, but I just had no earthly idea on how to talk about what happened with her. I mean, I liked Luna, but it was obvious now that she felt differently about me than how I felt about her.

"Luna, I…" I sighed, turning around as I got down on my knees, now just a little apprehensive about being so close to her. "I know this is something that you want us to talk about, but we should probably go and see what they want first. The last everyone else saw of you, you left on your own, crying. They probably want to see how you are. I left your brother with them to come and see you. I don't know any more than you do, but I think it's best we go and see what they want."

"B-but, Tyler, I-"

"Luna, I know. I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I just need some time to think about everything, okay?" I cautioned. "Just keep whatever thoughts you have until later. Once we've seen Yusei and the others, we can sort this out on our own, alright?"

Luna nodded quickly. "O-okay, Tyler. Sorry." She apologized needlessly.

* * *

The two of us made it to Poppo Time within fifteen minutes of getting Akiza's message. Luna was silent the whole ride over and I felt like shit. My stomach was in knots and my body was producing an amount of phlegm I hadn't thought humanly possible.

I hadn't even made it to the garage, and I thought I was going to choke. "Hey-" Yusei greeted us, but I moved past him, grabbing the bin from under his desk, which thankfully had a plastic bag stretched around it, and emptied my spill into it as quietly as I could. I positioned the bin so that nobody could see what I was doing, even though it was probably obvious to everyone. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine…!" I moaned, doing my best to not make eye contact with Akiza, Jack, or Leo, who were also present.

"You don't seem like it." Akiza stated.

"Trust me, I'm… I'm fine." I sighed, putting Yusei's bin back under his desk. "So what's up? Why'd you call us over here?"

Yusei, Jack, and Akiza looked to each other, before Leo spoke up. "I was mad at Lester for how he treated Luna, and so… We went to Lester's place, and… it's gone…!"

"What do you mean 'it's gone'?" I asked.

"There's no house there, just a vacant block of land." Akiza explained.

"What's more, Leo called Bob from his class, and he said he didn't know anyone called Lester." Yusei added.

"Which is _so_ _weird_! He wanted Lester to autograph his _face_! Right, Luna?" Leo looked to his sister, noticing her expression. "Luna, are you okay? Don't be upset about Lester! We're gonna find out what's going on! And I'm a Signer now, so I'll protect you if he decides to try anything!" He assured her.

Luna glanced over at her brother, and then continued looking down at her feet. I had to close my eyes for a brief moment as I attempted to calm myself before speaking again.

"What Mark have you got anyway?" I asked Leo.

"Um…" he mumbled, pulling down his sleeve to show me the etching on his arm. "It's a Heart… I think…"

"The Heart of the Crimson Dragon…" Jack muttered.

"That's pretty cool, Leo." I smiled.

"Yeah, my _Mark's_ cool, but I wanna know what my Signer Power is! You know, like how Luna can see and talk to Duel Spirits, and how Akiza can make monsters real! I want something cool like _that_!"

"I'm sure you'll get something down the track. You did only just get your Mark, remember…?" I said, deciding to try and move the discussion back to Lester before we got completely off-topic. "So are you saying that this Lester kid doesn't exist?" I asked.

"Not anymore…" Jack muttered.

"So, what does that mean then? That Leo, L-Luna and I Dueled against a figment, a phantom?"

"Phantom…" Yusei pondered. "It's got to have something to do with the Ghost." He said, all of us turning to him. "I don't know if you guys picked up on it, but Lester used a monster that looked very similar to the one the Ghost had, with a similar name as well! Even Lester's Duel style was similar to that of the Ghost's."

"I talked to Mina and she said she'd take care of everything! There shouldn't be any more Ghosts." Akiza said.

"Maybe not of that model," Jack began. "But maybe this one's different. Maybe it's a newer model built to look like a child. The other Ghost, the one we fought, looked like a man in his twenties, maybe a little bit older."

"Okay, well let's say this Lester is a new model of Ghost. Why would he enroll at Duel Academy, and _then_ erase his existence? And why are _we_ the only ones who can remember anything about him?" Akiza posed the question.

"I don't know…" Yusei muttered. "But there's clearly something going on."

"There might be a way to find out…" I spoke softly, noticing everyone's eyes, including Luna's, fall to me. "Lester arrived at Duel Academy on Monday, right? That's, like, a week. A week has gone by, this kid's come and gone, things have changed, but no one's noticed anything."

"What are you saying?" Yusei asked.

"You know how Luna and I had plans yesterday. Well she called and canceled, except it wasn't her, it was Lester somehow mimicking her voice, and pretending to be her. _He_ was the one that canceled our plans, and I ended up hanging out with Joel for the night instead."

"So…?" Jack murmured.

"So, if Joel remembers that I hung out with him yesterday, and remember, I didn't even _know_ about Lester at that time, then it means that everything that we remember happening did, and somehow, he or someone else has just been able to drop him off the face of the planet."

"And if he doesn't remember?" Akiza asked.

"Well then… I have no idea…" I sighed. Retrieving my cell from my pocket, I scrolled through my phone's contacts until I found Joel's number. "Just… if Joel does remember, he might be a little angry with me." I hesitantly pressed the call button before bringing the phone to my ear. On the sixth ring, I heard a clicking sound.

"Yep?" Joel's voice came through the other end.

"Hey, Joel." I greeted.

"Yep. What do you want?" he asked.

"I, uh… I just wanted to talk about what happened yesterday-"

"I'm done with yesterday, man. Let's talk about today. You were spoutin' all this shit off about how mentally fucked you are, well guess what? There's shit you can do about that. If you don't want to help yourself, then that's on you. That's what I was trying to do with the weed. Help you. If you can't see that, well that's your problem. I'm done. See ya!"

The line went dead. I lowered my phone from my ear and slid it back into my pocket. "Well… he remembers…" I sighed, looking down at my shoes.

"Why was he angry with you in the first place?" Jack asked.

"Well last night, he and I did drugs in the forest and I had a bad trip and he thinks it's just 'cause of how I am but I disagree." I looked up from my shoes, to meet the almost horrified gaze shared between Akiza and the twins, as well as Jack's and Yusei's looks of concern.

"What… what kind of drugs did you do?" Akiza asked softly.

"Marijuana, but I think it might've been laced with something, 'cause I saw faces in the trees. It's not as bad as it sounds." I stated. "Okay, maybe it is as bad as it sounds, but that's not the point. The point is, Joel remembers, which means we're not crazy, and we need to figure out why only certain people have their memories wiped."

"Right…" Yusei muttered, seemingly put-off or concerned by my confession. "It seems like it's everyone who's had a direct connection with Lester, aside from you two." Yusei said, looking over at the twins. "Hey, are you sure you're okay, Luna?" Yusei asked.

"Yes, I-I'm fine… I think… Um…" Luna mumbled, looking back over at me. Yusei nodded.

"Maybe it's 'cause we're all Signers that we can remember! Like, the Crimson Dragon protected us from getting our memories wiped, and everyone else, the students at school, the teachers, they've all forgotten because they don't have Marks!" Leo shouted.

"If that's the case, why does Tyler remember what happened?" Akiza asked.

I looked back over to Luna, our eyes meeting. "When I went to Luna's place to see if she was alright, her Mark lit up. It was only for a few minutes, but a bubble appeared around the two of us. At the time I thought someone dangerous might've been in the apartment, but now I'm thinking that might have been the moment when everyone else had their memories erased."

"So the Crimson Dragon protected you as well…" Jack murmured superfluously.

"That would explain it…" Yusei muttered.

"So what do we do now, Yusei?" Akiza asked.

"There's nothing we can do. At least, not right now anyway. We just have to wait and see what happens next. But there are obviously more of these Synchro-killing monsters out there, and we need to figure out an effective way to battle them."

"I thought what Leo did was really cool, using Eternal Rest." I piped up.

"Yes." Jack agreed. "But that was incredibly lucky. We can't just rely on one card to win every Duel for us."

"What would you suggest?" I asked.

"Let's not think about this anymore right now." Yusei interjected. "We'd just keep going over the same things. Until we know more about what we're fighting, it's pointless hypothesizing. Besides, Crow isn't here."

"Where is he anyway?"

"Off doing deliveries. He couldn't get away, that's why he wasn't with us before." Jack explained. He sighed. "But if this little meeting is over, I'm heading home…"

I nodded, turning to the twins. "Well alright then, do you guys want me to take you back to-" I stopped, Luna's attention focused solely on me once again, her expression burning into my eyes. "Your place…?" I finished slowly.

"If that's alright with you, sure." Leo smiled. "I mean, if we're done here and all." Leo looked over at his sister. "And I think Luna could use some rest too."

"N-no, Leo… I'm fine, really." Luna sighed before relenting. "Actually, having a little bit of a rest does sound nice."

"Well you've earned one." Yusei smiled. "And Luna, if you need to talk about anything, you know I'm more than happy to listen."

"Thanks, Yusei…" Luna smiled back.

Yusei turned to me. "But Tyler, are you sure you're alright to operate your Duel Runner?"

I nodded. "Don't worry, Yusei. I'm using auto-pilot until I'm sure everything's out of my system." I brought the attention of the twins to me. "Alright guys, I just need to make a quick call first, and then we'll hit the road."

* * *

I pulled up outside the Tops apartment complex, the late afternoon sun just peeking through the tall buildings and onto the path where Leo sat waiting for the two of us.

I'd actually forgotten, and Leo failed to remind me, that he still had his Duel Board in working order. So I ended up taking Luna back home by herself while Leo rode his Duel Board home, him of course not having to abide by road rules since he stuck to the pathways. I think his Duel Board still hadn't been registered anyway.

"Took you guys long enough." Leo teased.

"We were behind this guy the whole time over here that was just going _so_ _slow_. Like, almost unbearable." I groaned.

"You go in without me Leo, okay? I need to talk with Tyler about a few things first." Luna explained, turning to her brother.

Leo nodded. "Alright. See ya later, Tyler!" he waved.

"See ya." I said, briefly waving back as Leo picked himself up and walked inside. Luna moved away and then turned to me, though her eyes averted mine. "What is it?"

"Was it really that bad when I kissed you?" Luna asked. "I mean, you were sick before, so-"

"Oh no, Luna. No." I sighed. "That was just nerves." I answered truthfully. "As you probably gathered from me telling you about my… drug doing, I'm… still sort of going through some stuff. Now, believe me when I say I'll never do something as stupid as that again. It's just… I know I said that if you gave me some time that I'd be able to give you a clear answer, but… I do just need a little more time."

"Well… I… when will I see you again?" Luna asked.

"Here. Seven o'clock. Tonight. We can talk about what happened and where we're gonna go from here."

"You… you promise?"

"I promise…"

* * *

"I… have to admit, Tyler, I was surprised to hear from you again." My psychiatrist said.

I sat across from him in his office. I was seated, uncomfortably from nerves, on his couch.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I really appreciate it. I promise I'm just here for a quick visit."

"The last time you dropped by without a formal appointment, it was because you had some sort of realization. An emotional epiphany. I certainly hope that's not the case here as well."

"Well…" I mumbled, averting his eyes as I saw them widen.

"What happened?"

"…Luna kissed me." I admitted.

"Well-"

"On the lips." I added.

My psychiatrist leaned forward in his seat. "You haven't been doing anything to encourage her, have you?"

"Well… I, um… maybe? I don't know. The last time I was here, I came from Luna's place. I'd given her chocolates as a thank you for being so supportive of me. On Friday, yesterday, we were going to go see a musical together, but…" I sighed. "It's a long story…"

The expression on his face changed. "I wish you had've told me all of this before… You said Luna was twelve now, didn't you?" He asked. I nodded. "Well it's perfectly normal for girls of Luna's age to develop crushes on older men, like a teacher, a babysitter, or a friend's older sibling. Normally, it can just be a phase, an infatuation that usually passes quickly… but it sounds to me like you've been encouraging her crush, whether intentional or not, so I'm not so sure if this will just be a phase with her."

"What should I do?" I asked.

He sighed. "I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but I'd recommend that you don't associate yourself with her anymore."

My mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"I am."

"Well… _I'm_ not doing that." I said plainly.

"People might get the wrong idea, and then you might get into trouble. I know you don't want that, for yourself _or_ for Luna."

"I can't just… _not_ hang out with her!" I shouted, all but struggling to come to grips with the idea, especially after everything I'd been through. "Even if I wanted to, it would just make it more awkward with Yusei and everyone. I can't get them to choose between hanging out with me and hanging out with Luna."

"Well then, perhaps it's time you re-evaluate your place in your current friend group and think about where you're headed in regards to your relationship with all of them. Do you think they would be supportive if you pursued a relationship with Luna? Do you think they'd turn a blind eye should anything happen?"

"I'm _not_ gonna _rape_ her!" I protested almost in defense.

"I was not at all insinuating that."

" _Bullshit_!" I snapped. "What? You think that just because I'm older than her that I'd, I'd automatically try and-"

"Tyler, stop. I was simply trying to say, look at the age difference between the two of you, when you were six years old, she was only just being born. And right now, you've got a lot of things that you're trying to deal with. Even if you and Luna were the same age, I _still_ wouldn't recommend pursuing a relationship with her."

"What am I supposed to do then?" I asked. "The only other person I can hang out with is my stepbrother. And he's not exactly a law-abiding citizen. If I cut out Luna, I'd have to cut out Yusei and Akiza, and… I would have no one. And that's not an option, okay? _Not_ an option! I've already been screwing around with Luna's feelings enough, and it's _killing_ me!"

"Well it sounds like you made your mind up long before you came to see me. I just want you to understand that there are repercussions for everything you do, so before you do anything, you need to think long and hard about how this will affect you, and how this will affect Luna."

"I know that… and she knows that too… I've, I've told you this before, she's… she's been there for me through most of my crap… I… I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for her, and somehow, through everything, she… she still likes me… Now, I don't know anything about relationships. As far as I know, I've never been in one. But I _do_ know that this world is a messed up place, and not everyone in it is kind or caring. _Luna_ is, and I've been really lucky to have had her support. And if she… if she sees me as someone who can… who can make her happy, when she's been making me happy, then I'd just be the worst person in the world to deny her that."

I wasn't actually sure what I was trying to accomplish or justify by saying everything that I had. In the end, I probably wasn't even saying it to my psychiatrist, but more to myself, out loud, and my psychiatrist just happened to be in the room. I had to hear my thoughts, my words actually spoken, before everything could click and make sense. It was all much clearer to me than it had been.

My psychiatrist looked at me for a few moments, before shifting in his seat and smiling just a little. "You really do care about Luna, don't you…?"

"I do…" I muttered. "I'm sorry for swearing. I know I shouldn't."

"That's okay. Look, Tyler, listen. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck."

I rose to my feet, a smile on my face. "Thanks…"

* * *

I stood outside Leo and Luna's penthouse, my stomach full of butterflies. I had actually been just outside their door for a good five minutes, contemplating whether or not to knock on their door. Eventually, I was able to clear my head of all my hesitancy and just knock on the door, though my left hand, which was firmly grasping the end of a bouquet of red and white roses, started to sweat.

I was hoping that Luna would have been the one to open the door, as that would have saved me a bit of time and embarrassment with Leo. Unfortunately for me though, Leo was the one that came to answer the door, wearing a pair of blue pajamas. "Hey, Tyler." He greeted.

"Hey, Leo. Is your sister home? She awake?" I asked.

"Yeah, you can come in if you want. I think she's in her room."

"Thank you." I nodded. Leo walked back into the penthouse and I followed him in, removing my shoes and placing them by the door.

"What's with the flowers?" Leo asked, shutting the door.

"Oh, they're… they're for Luna." I said.

"Okay, that's nice." Leo yawned, before he walked back over to the couch and sat down, continuing to watch whatever was on TV. I stood there in silence for a few moments. Part of me felt like I had to say something to Leo. I had no idea if Luna had told him that she'd kissed me or not, but I knew how protective he was of her, and how he'd acted while Luna was with Sly and Lester. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a rift between Leo and Luna the way that Sly had done, and I didn't want Leo to hate me either.

"Hey, Leo… Um… can I ask you something?"

"Huh? Sure." Leo turned to me.

"Has Luna said anything to you?"

"About what?"

"Well, I dunno. Anything that you might find… upsetting, or… that you don't agree with?"

"She still thinks I should eat more vegetables. You mean something like that?"

"I…" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Nothing like that. I mean… y-you know I care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah… You care about her like I do, and that's really cool…"

"Well, would you know if Luna's said anything about me recently?"

"How recent?"

"Like… today, recent."

"No, nothing apart from the usual."

"Usual?" I asked.

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "'Oh, I hope Tyler's okay!' 'Do you think I should call him?'" Leo whined, pitching his voice higher in an attempt to do an impression of Luna, which admittedly was actually really, really convincing. "There's also a couple of pages on her school note book with your name written on them." He said, his voice returning to normal. "It's pretty obvious she likes you."

Leo said it so casually, so nonchalantly, that I didn't really know what to say, or moreover how he wanted me to respond. "And you're… _okay_ with her liking _me_?" I probed.

"Well… yeah!" Leo smiled. "You're a really good Duelist and you're a really good friend!"

"I wasn't so good against Lester. I almost cost us the whole thing. You pretty much carried the team, Leo." I shook my head, not wanting to get off-topic as I'd done with him before. "S-so you don't see anything wrong with… like age or…? Nothing?"

"Well… Can you keep a secret?" Leo whispered, getting up off the couch and walking over to me.

"Yeah, o'course." I said. He beckoned for me to lean down as he whispered into my ear.

"I have a crush on Miss Bartlet." He said, pulling away, a faint blush on his face.

"Oh… Well, you don't have to worry about me telling anyone. Your secret's safe with me."

"Awesome." Leo grinned as his blush faded. "And Akiza's younger than Yusei, and they're happy. So I can't see why Luna can't be younger than you and the both of you can be happy."

"Well, thank you, Leo." I smiled.

"Will you be staying the night?" he asked.

"I don't know yet." I shrugged, my eyes turning to the staircase. "I'm gonna go and see Luna now, okay?"

"K." Leo simply replied, walking back to the couch and turning to watch the TV. I slowly made my way up the steps to Luna's bedroom, my heart racing, but a smile still on my face. I expected Leo to be at the very least a little resistant or displeased, and at the most, angry and overprotective. I didn't give Leo enough credit and I think I underestimated his maturity.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I could hear Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me' playing inside Luna's bedroom, with Luna faintly singing along. I straightened myself, took a deep breath, and knocked on Luna's door. It took only four seconds for Luna to stop singing, turn the music down and open the door.

"Tyler…!" Luna breathed.

"Hi…!" I greeted. "Sorry I'm a little later than I said I'd be. I wanted to get cleaned up. And… I had to see someone… And I wanted to get you these…" I brought my left hand forward, offering the bouquet of roses to Luna.

"Tyler!" she crimsoned, taking the bouquet. "You didn't have to get me anything! What are these for?"

"Well, part of it's 'cause I've been acting like a real tool, stringing you along for the whole day. And, it's also 'cause… I just wanted to get you some flowers."

"Well they're beautiful, thank you!" she chirped. With her free hand, she reached out and took mine in hers, leading me into her room, and over to her bed as she sat down on the edge of it, placing the bouquet on her bedside table and patting a space beside her on the bed.

"I just want to understand a couple of things though, I-if that's okay?"

"Of course, anything." Luna said. I sat down on her bed beside her. The two of us were almost in the exact same positions we were in as when she kissed me.

I closed my eyes. "I, um… I have to ask… how long have you felt this way about me…?"

"Honestly… ever since you first saved me from the Spirit World." Luna replied. My eyes widened.

"Th… that long…?"

Luna's blush returned, but I could see a seriousness in her eyes as well. "You were like a knight in shining armor, rescuing me from Zeman like you did, and then again from the Arcadia Movement. Even after that, I… I felt really safe around you too, like… like you'd protect me if things ever went bad."

Her expression was killing me. That cheerful expression… talking about me like I was someone who could be admired. I might've rescued Luna, sure, but that was all during the height of my problems. Back then, I felt absolutely inadequate next to someone like Yusei, and was unknowingly being completely betrayed by someone who I thought had my best interests at heart.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Luna asked, noticing my downed expression.

"I was, um… I was actually told by my psychiatrist not to… communicate anymore with you, and by extension, Yusei or your brother." I watched Luna gasp as her position shifted on the bed, obviously and rightly surprised by what I'd said. "Don't worry, Luna. I'm not gonna-I don't wanna leave you, it's just… I'm so messed up. I don't want to hurt you, but I'm afraid I might, because I don't trust myself."

"Well, you're going to need to learn to trust yourself, because I do." Luna smiled, taking both of her hands in mine. "I wish that you could see yourself the way I see you, even if it's only for a second. You are an incredible, amazing person, who tries his hardest to do the right thing by everyone. You've been so good to me, and it makes me so upset to know that you don't know what I see in you, and how much I…" Luna's eyes averted mine, going silent for a few moments, before looking back at me. "How much I…" a shallow breath escaped Luna's lips. "Love you… I love you, Tyler."

"Y… you _love_ me…? I don't know what to say…" I mumbled as I started blushing. An intense warm and fuzzy feeling moved through my body. Only Luna could make me feel as good as I did. Her expression was killing me, but not at all like before. Not only had Luna been my first kiss, but she'd also told me that she _loved_ me.

"I'm gonna kiss you now, okay…?" Luna mumbled, leaning just a little closer towards me.

"Okay…" I whispered softly, her lips touching mine for a brief moment before she pulled away, her hair, no longer in pigtails as it was during the day, brushing my face.

"I… know it's probably a little too much for me to have said all this now," Luna fidgeted. "But I… I've been feeling this way for a long time and… I couldn't _not_ tell you how much you mean to me, and how much I care about you."

"No, no. That's perfectly okay, Luna, I just…" I trailed off. "I've never had someone tell me they love me, so… thank you." My eyes shifted from hers. "Look, Luna, I… I hadn't really thought of you as anything other than a really good friend, but… no one cares about me the way that you do, and… I think it's because I've… I've never experienced love, that I've never really thought about you o-or anyone else that way. But if you can love _this_." I motioned to myself. "This horrible, disgusting mess of a person, then-"

"Tyler, you're not-"

"Then I can at least try… to love you…" I smiled. "But I know, that I'll never be able to make you feel as good as you've made me feel tonight, and all those other times before, when I've been down and… you've pulled me out of my funk. You shouldn't have to do that – it's not your responsibility, but I am thankful for it, more than you know." I looked over at her clock. Quarter to ten. I sighed. "It's pretty late for you, right? I'm sorry, I really should have come earlier. I'll, um, I'll… I'll let you get some sleep." I said, getting up off her bed.

"I don't want you to go. Please stay." Luna urged.

It didn't take much convincing for me to agree. "Okay. I'll… I'll wait until Leo's gone to bed, and then I'll go and sleep on the couch."

"Leo won't be going to bed for another few hours since it's Saturday. Why don't you sleep here with me?"

"You mean, like, here on the floor and stuff?"

"No, I mean here with me." Luna said. "In my bed."

A lump formed in my throat. "Um, are you s-"

"I-I didn't mean that to sound h-how it did. I just mean, you know, we've slept close together before, and… Well, I don't think you'd be comfortable sleeping on the floor."

"The mattress I've got at home is terrible, I wouldn't even notice I was sleeping on the floor. I can make do. I don't need a pillow or anything." I said.

"If that's the case, I _definitely_ can't let you sleep on the floor, Tyler. Come on." Luna mumbled as she pulled her bed sheets and duvét back, gently sliding into bed. She looked at me with an almost cheeky smile on her face.

"Alright." I caved, walking back over to the bed as Luna moved to one side. I crouched down, shifting my weight as I got onto the bed. It would've been a little too small for me length-wise had my body been completely straightened out, but I wasn't one to normally sleep with my body completely straight anyway.

Luna pulled the covers over the both of us, smiling at me all the while. "So what do you think of the bed?"

"This _is_ pretty comfy." I admitted. I'd only been in her bed for less than a few seconds and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get a good night's sleep in my own bed ever again.

"I'm glad you like it." Luna's smile faded as she looked away for a brief moment. "Tyler…" she whispered. "Thank you. You… honestly don't know how happy you've made me…"

"Well you deserve to be happy, and for what it's worth… I'm _really_ sorry about what you went through with Sly and Lester. I promise I'll do my best to treat you the way you should be treated…"

"I know you will…" Luna murmured, her smile returning as her eyelids drooped a little. It was only a few minutes until Luna seemed to be fast asleep, a peaceful expression across her face. I smiled, shifting in the bed as I turned to face the ceiling.

As I began drifting off to sleep, I knew that, in the days that followed, I'd have to change. For real. Not just talk about changing. It would be difficult sure, but I also knew that, with someone like Luna supporting me, I'd be able to do it.

I _had_ to do it.


	13. Everlong

Getting up out of Luna's bed without waking her was one of the toughest things I ever had to do. I wasn't sure how light a sleeper Luna was, so I was worried that if I made any movements that she'd wake up, and I didn't want to interrupt her sleep. She just looked so peaceful.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had such a good sleep myself, and whether that was because the bed was so damn comfy, or I was sleeping next to Luna, or both, I wasn't really sure. I smiled at the serene expression on her face, edging over to the side of her bed as I slid out from under the covers.

My feet lightly touched the floor, my eyes on Luna as she let out a sigh in her sleep. I kept my movements slow as I headed towards the door, leaving Luna's room without making a sound.

I made my way downstairs, all but tiptoeing over to the front door. I slipped my shoes on as I unlocked the door and left the penthouse, closing the door quietly behind me.

* * *

I smiled, using a spatula to press down on one of two sandwiches I had placed in a frying pan. Neither of the twins had seemingly woken up yet, which was fine, since it was still the weekend and both had gone through quite a bit during the week. They deserved to sleep for as long as they could, especially Luna, though I did start doubting my decision to cook breakfast, as I thought that by the time Luna might be getting up, what I'd cooked would be cold.

I stopped humming Eric Stuart Band's 'I'm a Lucky Man' to myself as I heard the sound of footsteps come from behind me. "Tyler…?" Luna's voice meekly called from behind me.

"Morning…!" I greeted with a smile. "I hope you like grilled cheese, 'cause that's all I know how to make! Oh, and don't worry. I didn't take anything from the cupboards or anything. I went out a little earlier and got everything I needed with my own money." I turned back around to the sandwiches in the frying pan. "Actually, I think I might need to take a cooking class or something, 'cause these aren't turning out too well either…" I rambled. "Oh, yeah. I also got some more orange juice, which is in the fridge if you want any."

"You don't need to make me breakfast, and you _certainly_ didn't need to buy anything."

I turned back to Luna. "Luna, I told you last night that I was going to treat you the way you should be treated. I meant it, and I wanna start with breakfast. _Please_ let me do this for you."

"Okay…" she smiled softly. I turned back to the food, pressing down on one of the sandwiches with the spatula once more.

"Do you know what time Leo went to bed last night? I've got a sandwich in here for him too, but depending on what time he gets up, it's not gonna be very good."

"It might have been past midnight by the time he went to bed. So he'll be up by noon if we're lucky." Luna explained.

"Alright then. I'll have this and just cook something for him later." I smiled. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luna was still standing behind me. "Why don't ya go sit down and I'll bring this over when it's ready." I felt a bit weird almost ordering Luna around in her own home, but I didn't mean it in a rude or imposing way, and I knew Luna understood that.

"Okay…" Luna nodded and smiled again, walking over to the kitchen table. My body tremored as I realized I forgot to do something very important, rushing over to the table and pulling back a chair for Luna.

"Here you go," I smiled.

"Tyler…!" Luna breathed, herself returning a huge smile as she sat down.

I walked back over to the cooktop, turning off the electricity, which itself took a couple attempts. Sliding the two sandwiches onto separate plates, I quickly walked back over to Luna, setting the sandwich down in front of her. I then poured two glasses of orange juice before sitting opposite her at the table. "I hope it tastes alright."

"I'm sure it's lovely. Thank you." Luna smiled.

The two of us ate in silence for some time. Actually, that was untrue. I spent most of my time eating, while Luna spent most of her time looking at me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

Luna nodded quickly. "I, um… When I woke up and you weren't with me, part of me thought that everything that happened yesterday was a dream. But…" a smile slowly formed on Luna's face. "It wasn't though, was it?"

I shook my head. "Nope…"

"Can I just hug you, please?" Luna suddenly gushed.

Though a part of me was taken aback, I quickly regained my composure. "Yeah, sure." I said. "You don't need to ask."

Luna quickly got up from her seat, moving around the table and pressing herself against me, her arms around my neck. I smiled, gently returning the hug. "Hey…" I cooed. "Sort of not to do with anything, but you wouldn't happen to have any empty jars lying around, would you?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Luna looked up at me, though not at all moving her body from mine.

"You know, like, jam jars, marmalade jars… other glass jars."

"I think we might, but why do you need them?"

"I want to give both you and Leo a couple of swear jars." I could tell by the expression on Luna's face that she was a little confused, so I decided to elaborate. "N-not for you, for me. See, the idea is, whenever I swear around you, I put money into your jar, and whenever I swear around Leo, money goes into his jar."

"Tyler, I don't need money or-"

"I know, I know," I interrupted. "But the aim is not for me to be giving you money, the aim is for the jar to be empty. I feel really bad, I do, because sometimes I say things that are inappropriate, and… it's not right that I… talk like that, so…" I sighed. "I know I shouldn't _need_ something like this to be an incentive, but… I made a promise to myself last night that I would change my behavior. I don't wanna be a person that feels the need to swear every five seconds and is constantly angry and hateful. I wanna be someone that… I don't know, that you can be proud of, I guess…"

Luna's eyes looked deep into mine as I felt her hands move down to cup my own. "How about instead of a swear jar, we do a negative jar. So anytime you have a negative thought about yourself, you put some money in the jar, and then you talk to me about it, and _then_ I give the money back to you!" she chirped.

"That's sweet of you to suggest, really, but-"

"Tyler," Luna interrupted. "The fact that you know you use bad words, the fact that you want to stop, that's how I know you're trying. You… You don't need to prove anything to me. You know… Sly and Lester never really swore around me, but just because they didn't swear didn't mean they were good people. They both used me for… for their own reasons, and I know you're not like that. You're a good person, in spite of how you see yourself or how you act sometimes. Your heart's in the right place…"

I felt my body tremble as Luna moved a hand to my chest, near my heart. Her smile was absolutely intoxicating, I couldn't help but smile back as we looked at each other in silence.

Our moment was unfortunately interrupted by a weird beeping sound that I couldn't quite distinguish where it was coming from.

"I wonder who that could be…" Luna mumbled, quickly pulling away, heading out of the kitchen and over to the panel on the wall of the living room. I quickly crammed the rest of my sandwich into my mouth, chewing fitfully as I followed Luna out. I watched as Luna pressed a button on the panel below a monitor that seemed to be fitted into the wall. As Luna pressed the button, Dexter's face popped up on the screen. "Hey, Dexter," Luna greeted.

"Hey, Luna. Is Leo up?" Dexter asked.

"Um… Well he did go to bed pretty late last night, but I can go and wake him up if it's urgent."

"Well it's about class on Monday, so-"

"Yep. Say no more! I'll be right back!" Luna chirped, moving away from the monitor and going into Leo's room. I froze up when I realized I was in view of the monitor and Dexter could probably see me on whatever device he was using.

"'Sup?" I said, my voice cracking before I cleared my throat.

"Hey… Tyler. What are you doing over at Leo's place?" Dexter asked.

"Luna offered for me to stay the night, so I did." I explained, without any hint of embarrassment or nervousness in my voice.

"Oh, okay, cool." Dexter shrugged. I neglected to tell Dexter that Luna and I had kissed, because I didn't feel like that was something he needed to know. That, and I wasn't quite sure how 'public', for lack of a better word, Luna wanted to be about us. After all, it wasn't like with Akiza and Yusei, who only had an age difference of two years. The gap between mine and Luna's age was much more substantial, and while I didn't have a problem with it, my psychiatrist seemed to, and if his reaction was anything to go by, I was sure others would too.

I heard Leo yawn as he stepped out of his room with Luna in tow. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he walked over to the monitor as Luna came to my side behind him.

"So, that thing can do video calls." I stated blankly.

"Yep." Luna nodded.

"You know, when I saw it the first time coming in, I thought it was, like, a security camera or something." I shrugged.

"Hey, Dexter. What's up?" Leo grinned.

"Not much. I just wanted to know if you guys needed any help with your essay." Dexter explained.

"What essay?" Leo asked.

"The one due tomorrow. You know, the one we've been working on for the past week?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Are you _serious_?" Dexter chided. "It's not like you to forget assignments completely. Have you even started?"

"I don't know!"

"It's alright, man. Don't worry about it. I had a feeling that you might've forgotten, which is why I called. Patty and I were gonna help Bob with his essay, you know, 'cause he got an extension and everything. But if you want, we could all just come 'round to yours and work on ours together."

"Yes! Yes _please_!" Leo begged.

"Alright, well, when do you want us over?" Dexter asked.

"As soon as possible!" Leo shouted.

"Wow! Alright, we'll see you in… half an hour then." Dexter said. "See ya."

As soon as the call ended, Leo threw his hands up in the air and yelled, probably at the top of his lungs. "I am _so_ freaking out right now!"

"Leo, calm down." Luna hushed.

"You heard what Dexter said about an essay! What essay?! There's-we've-nuf-I've! We've nothing! There's _nothing_! No one's said _anything_ about an essay until now!"

"Alright, let's just take a deep breath and think about this for a second." I cautioned. "Dexter said that you've been working on this essay since the start of the week, which is when Lester showed up in your class. Maybe his disappearance has caused a different set of events to have taken place over the past week."

"Be that as it _may_ ," Leo huffed, "that _still_ doesn't help the fact that I've got an essay that I need to write in _one_ day!"

"Well, I don't know. I was just trying to offer up an explanation as to why things have happened how they have. Sorry."

Whoever this Lester kid was, it was abundantly clear he was no ordinary child. If I wasn't quite sure of it before, I damn well knew it now. Insanely over-powered monsters, weird-ass clothing, and able to alter time and space. It was like something out of a crazy science fiction story!

"We should probably call Yusei about this, right?" Luna asked. "I mean, it's one thing to forget that certain things have happened, but to have entirely new events take place, and for _us_ to not remember them… it's kinda scary to think about what could happen if Lester were to… reappear…"

"Just because his mansion's gone, doesn't mean Lester is. For all we know, he still might show up for school on Monday, and when he does, I'm gonna beat the crap out of him!" Leo shouted.

I wanted to argue that violence wasn't the answer, but we'd gotten Stardust Dragon back from Sly by being violent. That, and I doubted if we _were_ to meet Lester again that he'd pull any punches. But that wasn't to say that he held back against us in our last Duel with him.

"I don't have Yusei's number, but I think it's a good idea we let him know about this. Do either of you have his number?" I asked. The twins looked to each other, shaking their heads. "Alright, well I'll head over to his place now then." I said.

"Will you be coming back?" Luna asked.

I sighed. "Probably not."

"What? Why?"

"Well if you guys have got an essay to do, I don't want to distract you, especially if it's due tomorrow. I'll just message you with whatever Yusei says to do."

" _No_!" Luna suddenly blurted, taking me by surprise. "What I mean is, um… I was wondering if maybe, um… Well, see… I thought maybe I could tell my friends about us wh-when they come over, and… I want you to be here for that as well… I-if that's okay…" she mumbled, her cheeks reddening.

I felt a blush appear on my face, which I quickly fought back, clearing my throat. "Well, I… I do think that would be fine, but… W-we do need to be a little quiet about this." I cautioned. "I mean, you know that I'd never, um, do anything inappropriate… o-or," I cleared my throat. "Stuff like that… to you…"

"N-no, of course not!" Luna quickly interjected.

"It's just that, you know, with the age difference, people might get the wrong idea. I-I'm fine with, with people knowing, but we do need to be a little careful with how we… e-explain things." I noticed Luna's downed expression, and I frowned, gently reaching to cup her head in my hands. "Luna, I don't want you to think that I am ashamed or embarrassed or anything like that. That could not be further from the truth. If you want to tell your friends about us, then you have my full support." I cooed.

Luna smiled. "Thanks, Tyler…" she whispered.

Leo groaned. "It's cool that you guys love each other and all, but can you tone it _down_ with the lovey-dovey stuff?" he asked. I watched an almost cheeky smile appear on Luna's face as she leaned closer to me, standing up on the tips of her toes, eyes closed, lips puckered. I knew what she was going for, what she wanted and why. I laughed for about a second, before I crouched down just a little for her lips to meet mine. The kiss lasted about three seconds, which was enough to irritate Leo. "Okay! That was _totally_ on purpose!" Leo shouted as Luna started giggling.

Luna moved away from me, and I headed towards the front door.

"Be back soon, okay?" Luna called. I nodded.

* * *

Unfortunately for me, I arrived at Poppo Time to find the garage closed. Zora told me that Yusei had gone off on his own again, while Crow was out making deliveries. So I returned to the penthouse within the hour, making a quick stop at my apartment on the way to freshen up. I found that Dexter, Patty and Bob had all turned up to the penthouse during my absence, and were sitting with the twins at the kitchen table.

"Hey guys," I greeted.

"Hey, Tyler!" Luna chirped, the rest of the kids simply glancing at me as I walked over. "You're just in time."

"We only arrived a few minutes ago." Patty added.

"Why'd you leave?" Dexter asked.

"I had to step out for a little bit." I simply said, realizing the pointlessness of elaborating further, especially as that would have required me to explain everything with Lester, which of course they didn't even remember. I looked at the laptops and tablets that each of the kids had, along with the sheets of paper spread out between them. "So, how's the essay going?" I asked.

"Terribly…" Leo grumbled.

"Well, what's the question? Maybe I can help." I offered.

"Okay, so, the question is 'You're hosting a dinner party. If you had the opportunity to invite five people, living or dead, to your dinner party and they would attend, who would you invite, and why?'." Dexter read, turning to Leo. "What do you wanna do?"

"W-well, who did you pick again?" Leo asked.

"I picked Akira Kurosawa, Mai Valentine, my great aunt Rachel… Hey! Don't just copy exactly what I put down!" Dexter shouted, moving his laptop away from Leo's view as the latter attempted to feverishly copy down Dexter's answers.

"The question's too open." I found myself saying.

"What do you mean?" Bob asked.

"Well, if you can pick a person to invite, and they don't have to be alive, does that mean you can also choose to invite someone who's alive now, but a younger version of them? Like, say… Taylor Swift from the year two thousand and nine. And what about diet? This is for a dinner party, right? What happens if you, ya know, invited someone who's vegetarian, or someone who's allergic to peanuts? Then you'd, you know, have to organize to have a… cohesive meal. And what the heck does _this_ have to do with Dueling anyway? I mean, at least… um…" I trailed off, noticing that I'd garnered everyone's attention. "Sorry… I'm overthinking this, aren't I…? This is, this is for school and I'm just butting in."

"Now I'm like, a zillion-times more confused!" Leo panicked, throwing his arms up in a fit of rage.

"Sorry, Leo…" I mumbled, hating myself and wondering why I didn't just keep quiet. "I think, you know, maybe it'd be best if I went home, and left you guys to it."

"Actually, you made some really good points, Tyler." Dexter said, looking down at his task sheet. "There's nothing here that says the five people you pick have to have anything to do with Duel Monsters. I think what the teacher's trying to get us to do is write down our reasons why. She doesn't care about _who_ we put down, she just wants to know _why_."

"Who would you put down, Tyler?" Patty asked.

I exhaled. "Well… off the top of my head, uh… two-thousand-one Shania Twain, two-thousand-five Seto Kaiba, um…" I started tapping my fingers on the side of my head. "I dunno… that's all I can think of, really. Oh, and Luna, of _course_. But um… no, no one else…" Dexter and Bob turned to look at each other for a few seconds, while Patty looked over at Luna, exchanging a glance with her. I cleared my throat. "As for why, well, I like Shania's music, and Seto Kaiba's just… how cool would it be to be able to talk to the guy that practically revolutionized Duel Monsters, you know? I mean, I read online that he was actually the guy that started the first ever Duel Academy, and his company was the one that invented the Solid Vision. A-as for Luna… I… enjoy her company… very much so…"

Patty shot Luna another glance and Bob clicked both his fingers. "I like what you said about Seto Kaiba. Is it okay if I use that?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." I shrugged.

"I got it!" Leo shouted, pounding one of his hands on the table. "I'll do Luna, my mom, my dad, grandma and grandpa, 'cause as a family, we barely get to see each other."

"That's sweet, Leo." Luna smiled, clearing her throat as she glanced at me. "Um… I've been trying to think of a way to say this, and I can't really… so… I'll just say it… Tyler and I, um…"

A blush crept onto Luna's face, causing Leo to sigh. "Luna and Tyler kissed, and now they're, like, together." He said bluntly, resulting in Luna glaring at him.

I wasn't quite sure what reaction I was expecting Luna's friends to give, so I just stayed silent, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone. I felt that it was more Luna's business than mine, seeing as they were her friends, and I didn't want to risk embarrassing her.

"Oh my gosh, _really_?!" Patty squealed, causing my eyes to lift from my shoes to her. Patty leaned over, giving Luna a hug. "Fantastic!" She shouted. Dexter and Bob on the other hand just shrugged. "Hey! Aren't you gonna congratulate Luna?!" Patty asked.

"Well… we kinda figured it was bound to happen eventually, given how much you talk about him." Dexter shrugged.

"Yeah! I mean, we see you doodle his name in your books all the time." Bob added.

I think they might've forgotten that I was still in the room.

"I don't wanna sound all anti-lovey-dovey and stuff, but shouldn't we get back to the essays?" Leo asked.

" _What_?!" Patty scoffed. "Your sister's got a _boyfriend_! This isn't something we ignore as soon as we find out about it!" She exclaimed, turning back to Luna. "You gotta tell me! How many times have you kissed? What was it like?" Patty asked, squirming about in her seat. "I'm just so happy for you, I can't sit still!"

"Can we not talk about kissing or anything?" Bob grumbled.

"Yeah, I don't really like where the conversation's headed…" Dexter added.

"Fine!" Patty pouted. "We'll just leave you boys here, and we'll go into Luna's room and continue this. C'mon, Luna!" Patty moved out from her seat, taking Luna's hand in hers.

"Well, hey! Um… Patty…!" Luna attempted to protest, though followed Patty out of her seat anyway. I looked over at the boys, and then to the girls as they left the kitchen and ascended the steps to Luna's bedroom.

"Should I come too?" I called.

Patty turned back to me. "Yes! Yes! Of course! _C'mon_!" She urged.

I sighed, quickly moving to follow Patty up the staircase and into Luna's room. Luna seemed just as surprised as I was when Patty took my hand and led me over to the bed as she sat between Luna and me.

In that moment, most of my brain pretty much shut down, really so that I wouldn't risk embarrassing Luna. Patty was one of Luna's best friends at school, and I was really worried about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, or making the wrong impression. I knew what I had to do. Follow the conversation, but only speak when spoken to.

It turned out that plan was a terrible one, especially when I started spacing out and both Patty and Luna looked at me, as if expecting me to say something. My eyes widened. "Yes…!" I stated, like a complete idiot.

Patty squealed again, reaching over and giving me a quick hug. "I just _know_ you guys are gonna be perfect together!" she shouted. "Ooh, hey. I gotta visit the restroom. Be right back."

Patty quickly moved off the bed and out the door as I looked over at Luna, herself staring back at me with a warm smile.

"Luna," I sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, but I totally spaced out and I'm not sure what it is I agreed to." I admitted.

"Oh. Patty just asked if we're going to be doing all the 'things that couples do together'." Luna explained. "Is that, um… Is that okay with you?"

I smiled, the fear that I'd agreed to something I'd regret no longer apparent. "Luna, spending time with you is a blessing, and I'd be happy even getting to spend just a second with you. Whatever you want to do, whatever you need me for, _whenever_ you need or want me, I'll be here in a heartbeat. That's a promise."

Luna's arms found themselves wrapped around my body as she pressed herself against me, an infectious smile on her face. "You're so charming, Tyty…" she hummed.

"…'Tyty'?" I asked softly.

Luna's eyes widened and she quickly pulled away from me. "Sorry?" she asked hurriedly. "Oh… um… that's my, um… my sort of… pet name-ish-type thing for you. Like, um, you know how sometimes… people come up with nicknames and such for their, um… boyfriends and stuff… well, that's my sort of… name for you…"

My smile returned. I could tell I'd embarrassed her, what with the severe blush on her face. "That's okay. You don't need to be embarrassed about that. I was just wondering was all. You can call me 'Tyty' if you like."

"Y-you don't mind?" Luna asked.

"O'course not." I continued to smile, as did Luna, until I noticed hers fade quickly, looking as though she had something on her mind. "You alright?"

"Well, um… I might take you up on that offer to help me. See, Leo and I usually take the bus or the train to school, but I think now that he's got his Duel Board, he'll want to be riding that to school. I don't want to take the bus to school by myself, and the train would be too crowded to ride alone, so… if it's alright with you, would you be able to take me to school from now on?"

"Luna, I'd love to." I smiled again. "You just tell me when you start and when you finish, and I'll be here to take you, and I'll be there to pick you up."

Luna smiled back at me. "Thanks, Tyl… Tyty."

"You're welcome…" I muttered, bringing a hand up to cup the side of her head. "So, hey… I think your friends took it really well."

"I would've liked it if Leo had've let either you or I tell them. It's not really his place, you know? Like, I wouldn't do that to him if he had a girlfriend and wanted to tell everyone."

"I know, but that's just what makes you _you_ , and Leo _Leo_." I smiled. "And I dunno, maybe he was just freaked out about the essay and everything and just wanted everyone not to get sidetracked. I mean, look how Patty took it. Maybe Leo _knew_ that was going to happen and just wanted to focus on his schoolwork. He's a lot more mature than he was a few months ago."

"If you say so. I haven't really noticed… Oh yeah, what did Yusei say?" Luna asked, reminding me that, with the arrival of Luna's friends, I'd forgotten to tell the twins about the reason I left in the first place.

"He wasn't there when I went over."

"Oh…"

"But I don't want you to worry, okay? Everything's gonna be fine, I assure you. A-and look, I can walk you into school if you're worried about Lester. In fact, I could probably get a visitor's pass and sit in on your classes and stuff if you wanted. I mean, I don't want to fully, like, take over your life or anything, and I wouldn't want other kids poking fun at you 'cause I'm there, but I don't want you to be worried or anything."

"You don't have to do that." Luna shook her head. "It's a very sweet offer, but… I think I'll be fine."

"I know you will." I cleared my throat. "Speaking of school, we should probably head back down and do your essay and everything, huh?"

Luna nodded quickly. "Y-yeah, but I… I was wondering what you wanted… _if_ you wanted, to say anything to Yusei and the others… about us…"

"Of course, Luna. Whatever you want, you have my full support." I assured her.

"Hope I'm not _interrupting_ _anything_." Patty spoke up, Luna and I looking to the doorway where she stood. "But if I am, don't mind me!" she teased, poking her tongue out at us.

"Actually, Tyler suggested we head back downstairs and keep working on our essays…" Luna explained.

Patty sighed. "Yeah, I _guess_ we should…" I could tell by her tone that she'd rather procrastinate. Regardless, Patty turned to walk down the steps as I got to my feet, a hand outstretched to help Luna up, which she took.

The two of us left her bedroom, but Luna pulled me back as I went to walk down the staircase.

"Hey…" Luna whispered. "You know, there's only one person I'd want to invite to a dinner party."

"Who's that?" I asked.

" _You_!" Luna giggled, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.


	14. To the Wolves

The next week went by rather quickly, but that was probably because the only notable thing I did was take Luna to and from school every day. As we'd all suspected, there were no traces of Lester left. No one in Luna's class remembered him, and according to Luna, his name wasn't on the class attendance list either. Speaking of which, Luna got the highest mark in her class for the essay she wrote, which both did and didn't surprise me, mainly because the only person she'd written about in it was _me_.

To be honest, nothing much had really changed between Luna and me since we started, for lack of a better term, seeing each other. I realized that we'd been doing what most couples in relationships do anyway (or at least what I _assumed_ couples do), even if I hadn't known at the time. It was now really just… more open, if that makes sense. Luna would always give me a hug every time she saw me, and she was just an incredibly happy, pleasant and all-around awesome person to be around.

In spite of the issues I still had to work through, I'd truthfully never been happier.

We pulled up outside the Tops apartment complex as I felt Luna's arms move from mine. "Thanks for picking me up. I really appreciate it." Luna chirped, schoolbag slung around her back as she removed her helmet.

"No worries," I smiled, removing my helmet as Luna leaned forward and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "You know, we should celebrate." I said to her.

"Celebrate?" Luna asked.

"Yeah! Why not? You got the highest mark in the class! That's _totally_ celebration-worthy!"

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

"Whatever you want." I smiled. "We could go out for dinner, go see a movie, I could take you shopping. Anything you want, we'll do!"

"Well… could we… go to Yusei's then, tomorrow?" She asked.

"Really? Yusei's?" I asked.

Luna nodded. "Y-yeah… If it's alright with you, I'd like to call everyone over to Yusei's and… tell them about us."

"If that's what you want, we can do that. No worries." I smiled. "What about doing something after though? I mean, surely that's not _all_ you wanna do."

"As long as I'm with you, I'm happy doing anything. Why don't we come back here, get something delivered, and just hang out? You could stay the night."

"That sounds perfect." I said. "But whatever we get to eat, you're _not_ paying for, okay?"

" _Okay_!" Luna giggled.

"Awesome." I grinned. "Alright, well, I'll call and see if everybody's available. What time were you thinking?"

"Maybe nine-ish, so that we can spend more time together after…?" Luna suggested.

I nodded. "Sounds good. I'll call you a little later just to confirm everything, and then I'll be here tomorrow to pick you up."

"Okay!" Luna said, determined. I placed my left hand on her shoulder, while using my right to slip my helmet back on.

"See you tomorrow." I said, revving my Duel Runner once Luna had stepped back a fair distance.

I took off slowly before deciding to turn the auto-pilot on.

"Tyty!" I heard her call over my Runner's engine. "I love you!"

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Luna asked.

"No. Why would you say that?"

"Well… it's just that usually we talk about things… we're almost there and… you've been silent the whole way." Luna noted.

"Okay. Maybe I am a _little_ bit nervous." I admitted. "N-not about you, or us… about me. I think I might be overthinking things, and then I say things too directly or without thinking how it might come across. I just, again, I need to be careful how I word things."

"I don't want you to be nervous. I can do all the talking if you'd like." Luna offered.

"Could you…?" I asked softly, feeling part of my independence die.

"Of course, Tyty." Luna smiled.

"Th-thanks." I breathed.

"Besides, since Leo's hanging out with Dexter, we won't have to worry about him telling them instead of us."

Luna and I were on our way to Poppo Time to meet with the others. Crow told us that Jack, Yusei and him would be at the garage, but he didn't sound in too good a mood when I called the day before. Akiza said she'd be dropping by to ask Yusei for help with some homework. Basically, everything was in place, and I was really only worried about me screwing things up.

Pulling up outside the garage, I hadn't even finished parking my Runner before I felt Luna shifting her weight to get off. Thankfully though, she stayed on until I had parked. I could tell she was really excited to tell everybody, and that made me relax a little.

Luna took her helmet off, sliding out from behind me and taking my hand as I noticed Akiza pulling up on her Duel Runner behind us.

"Hey, Akiza!" Luna called.

"Hello, Luna. Hello, Tyler." Akiza greeted, a smile on her face as she put her Runner into park, removing her helmet. I quickly did the same, my hand moving from Luna's as I realized I still had mine on. "So what did you want to tell me about?" she asked.

"We'll tell you inside. We want everyone to find out together." Luna said, causing Akiza to raise an eyebrow. She shrugged and I moved aside to allow Akiza to walk in front, before taking Luna's hand into my own once more as we followed her into the garage side-by-side.

I was surprised to find both Jack and Crow seated on an old couch backed up against a set of drawers, heads resting in their hands as they faced Yusei, who was sitting at his computer. Next to Yusei was a man around the same age with blue hair – the only feature I could discern, as his back was turned to us just as Yusei's was, though the two of them were heavily involved in conversation with each other.

"Hey, Tyler…" Crow grumbled.

"Hi, Crow, Jack." I greeted, turning to face Yusei. "Hey, Yusei!" I called to him. Yusei didn't stop talking. He didn't even turn to me, instead just lifting his right hand up to wave briefly.

"Yusei! Hey!" Akiza called, having exactly the same luck as me.

"Who's the guy with blue hair?" I asked Jack and Crow.

"His name's Bruno Borrelli. That's about all we really know." Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Akiza asked.

"Well he's got amnesia, but he's really good with computers. Like, as good as or better than Yusei." Crow explained. "They've basically been ignoring us ever since they got back. They've just been working on the Grand Prix engine design nonstop."

"Have they saved their work at all?" I asked.

"I think so… yeah." Crow yawned.

"What about backing it up? You know, to another location or Hard Drive?"

"I dunno, man… it's all… they're the ones doin' it…" Crow mumbled.

"I _still_ don't understand how Bruno can have amnesia and work on the engine." Jack grumbled. "Then again, _you_ were like that weren't you, Tyler? Didn't know a thing about yourself, but you knew how to talk, how to Duel, what a movie was, and-"

"Look, don't ask me how amnesia works!" I snapped. "Besides, Sayer probably used some Arcadia Movement memory-wiper thingamajig to keep whatever memories I needed to help him and then wipe out the rest of them."

"Ah, so knowing about movies is important for a cult?" Jack coyly asked.

"Ah, _yeah_ , Jack. Have you gone on TV Tropes?" I replied, the sarcasm clear in my voice. "A lot of useful information on there…"

"Wait, so what are you saying about the whole amnesia thing?" Crow asked.

"I don't know. I just think that my case is a special one. That's all. It just seems pretty suspect that he'd know how to work on a Duel Runner engine of all things, but not know anything else about himself."

"I'm heading off," Akiza spoke.

"Akiza…?" Luna muttered, turning to her.

"It's like Yusei doesn't even notice that we've arrived. And there's no point in being here if I'm just gonna get in the way or be ignored." She explained. "Yusei, I'm going now, okay?" She told him, eliciting no more than a simple groan from Yusei, who continued his discussion with Bruno.

I watched as Akiza turned and left, furious as to how Yusei had given me and everyone else, especially Akiza, the cold shoulder.

"Uh… Yusei? Your _girlfriend_ just left!" I told him.

"Yeah, just a sec, Tyler. I'm sort of in the middle of a conversation at the moment." Yusei brushed me off, continuing to chat away with Bruno.

"Unbelievable!" I shouted, throwing my hands up into the air. "Fine! You know what? _I'll_ go and talk to Akiza, _you_ just sit here, talk with some random guy, and play on your computer!"

"Uh-huh…" Yusei mused. I growled, turning to leave the garage.

I broke into a jog, heading over to the Café across the street, where Akiza was sitting at a vacant table outside, head in her hands.

As I got closer, I frowned, hearing Akiza sobbing lightly. "Akiza," I cooed. "You okay?"

"It doesn't matter…" she whispered, removing her hands from her face, tears in her eyes. "No matter what I do… it just doesn't matter…"

"What doesn't matter…?" I asked softly.

"I just… I don't think I'll ever understand Yusei… maybe… maybe kissing him and… everything that I've felt… for him… has been a mistake…"

I couldn't believe what Akiza was saying. There might have been more to it. There was _probably_ more to it, but to me it seemed like Akiza was second-guessing her relationship with Yusei all because some guy showed up, and Yusei was talking to him. Although truthfully, I completely understood why she was upset.

I pulled up a seat opposite her, sitting down and placing my hands down on the table near hers. I racked my brain for a speech I could give to try and fix things, tell her everything was gonna be okay. I couldn't bear to see Akiza looking as down as she was.

"Akiza, do you remember who you were when we first met?" I asked.

"A _puppet_?" She answered bluntly.

"You were a fucking badass." I smiled. "Remember our Duel? You wiped the floor with me. You were confident, brave, and powerful. You were the Black Rose Witch."

"Yeah! And I was hated by pretty much everybody!"

" _I_ didn't hate you." I pointed out. "But that's beside the point. You think Yusei understands what it's like to be you? Of _course_ not! Only _you_ understand what it's like to be you, ya know! But that doesn't mean that you and Yusei can't be together!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I just mean that… you don't have to understand Yusei to like him, to be with him, to _anything_ him. You just need to be you. _That's_ the important part."

"But I _want_ to understand Yusei. I _want_ him to let me get to know him. I mean, that's why I got my Duel Runner Licence, because Sherry… She said all this stuff about understanding Yusei better just because she's a Turbo Duelist, which at the time I thought was complete crap, but… Jack, Crow, Kalin, and you, you're all Turbo Duelists, and you've all had a deep history with Yusei. I thought maybe there was something to what Sherry was saying. And I… I go through all this crap to get my licence, and then this guy shows up, and it turns out that I'm right back to where I started. Right back to not knowing anything about Yusei."

"Akiza, I've seen how he looks at you, how he treats you. He _loves_ you! Just because some guy shows up at his door and Yusei's getting him to help with whatever it is they're doin' doesn't mean he cares about you any less, and just because you can't help him with this one thing doesn't mean you should second-guess your feelings for him, or that you don't know or understand him. Yusei's not the kind of guy to screw around, Akiza. If he didn't want to be in a relationship with you, he wouldn't be. He cares about you. He really does. He just…" I looked back in the direction of the garage. "I guess at the moment, he just needs… someone else who understands a different part of him."

"A different part of Yusei?" Akiza whispered to herself.

"Remember what I said at the library when that random chick was trying to be sympathetic and I said that she didn't understand? I wasn't trying to be all angsty and douchey. I really meant it. Only someone who is and has been in the exact same position as me can fully understand me, how I act, and where I'm coming from. I can't understand you. I don't know what it's like to be in your shoes, what it was like for you growing up, coming to terms with your powers and all that. But just as you and everyone else have been so incredibly supportive of _me_ , _we_ have to support Yusei, even if this all does seem a little too weird."

Akiza shakily exhaled, her body quivering just a little.

"You're right," Akiza said, a smile across her face even though she was still looking tear-stricken. "Yusei supported me when I didn't have anyone else. I just… I just have to be here for him now, if he needs me… I should be. He's… He's done so much for me…" Akiza looked up into my eyes. "Thanks, Tyler."

"No problem, Akiza." I smiled. I turned behind me at the sound of someone jogging over towards us. "Luna?"

"Yusei, he's… it's like we're invisible to him now…" Luna sighed.

"Just give him some time," Akiza assured her. "He's been shouldering a lot on his own, but when he's ready to talk, he will, and we need to be there for him."

Luna nodded. "Yeah, but… I, we… Tyler and I… um, not that it's urgent that you all know, but…"

"What's wrong, Luna?" Akiza asked softly, noticing the crimson hue on her face.

Luna cleared her throat. "We… um, we wanted to tell everybody together. That's, um… that's actually why we wanted to know if you'd be here or not. See… Tyler and I… W-well, the long and the short of it is… we're together now…"

I looked over at Luna, a soft expression on her face as she looked almost wistfully at me. She wasn't embarrassed by me. Not that I really thought she would be, but to say that it hadn't crossed my mind at least once would've been a lie.

The reaction that Akiza gave was nothing like the ones that Luna's classmates had given, and was one that neither Luna nor myself were expecting.

"Y… you can't be serious…" Akiza muttered. "You two… in a relationship…?"

Luna nodded. "I-is that so bad?" She asked, but Akiza paid her no mind, instead directing her attention to me.

"I expected more common sense from you, Tyler! What on _Earth_ possessed you to think that dating a twelve-year-old is a good idea?!" Akiza snapped. "It's disgusting! You're _eighteen_!"

My eyes widened, thrown at how quickly the situation had changed and how angry Akiza had become with me. "I-"

"It's disgusting! Absolutely _disgusting_! I actually can't _believe_ that you would _ever_ think what you're doing is acceptable!"

"It's not like that at _all_ , Akiza!" Luna protested, but Akiza just looked at her with a pitying scowl like she assumed Luna was just being manipulated by me.

"What _we're_ doing?!" I cut in. "All we've done is kiss. Nothing else, which is, by the way, _considerably_ less than I can say for you and Yusei!"

What I said was _completely_ uncalled for, and I immediately regretted saying it as the words left my mouth. Akiza didn't let it slide though, her mouth agape, face showing abhor. She reeled her hand and drew it forward, slapping me roughly across the face.

"How _dare_ you." She said bluntly, getting up out of her seat and walking away.

The stinging feeling didn't leave my face for quite a while, and I just sat there, absolutely shell-shocked. Luna said something to me, but I couldn't respond. I just sat there, Luna's words failing to reach me. Once the stinging sensation was no longer present, I reached my left hand up, running my fingers along where Akiza had struck me, pain quickly returning at the touch.

I more than likely would have stayed in that seat forever, had it not have been for a waitress who walked out from the Café and over to Luna and me.

"Hello, can I take your order?" she asked.

* * *

Although Luna and I had gone back to her place as we'd planned, I wasn't in a good mood. I pretended to be, because I was the kind of person who usually let things get to me, and I didn't want to ruin what Luna and I had planned, but I knew she saw right through my overworked smile and the incredibly overenthusiastic tone in my voice.

"So, what do you want to get to eat?" I asked. "Pizza? Sushi? Burgers~?" My eyes widened as my voice broke, the two of us sitting next to each other on the couch. "Sorry. _Burgers_." I said, lowering the tone of my voice almost to a low growl.

Luna just looked at me with a somber expression. "Tyler… Tyty…"

My façade broke almost immediately. "I'm so sorry, Luna…" I whispered, bringing a hand to cover my eyes. "I am such a jerk."

"No you're not." She assured me.

"Yes I am," I groaned. "I was such a…" I stopped myself, almost about to utter profanity. "Mean person to Akiza, and after I'd built her up and made her feel better." I turned to Luna. "Luna, if I ever do or say anything that you don't like, please tell me." I said. "In fact, I give you permission to slap me across the face. It's about what I deserve. I should be grateful that it _was_ just a slap. Akiza could've ripped me apart with her Black Rose Dragon if she wanted to…"

Luna took one of my hands in hers. "Tyty… I know you'd never say or do anything to hurt me, and I know you'd never say or do anything to hurt Akiza either. It was just all the stress of the two of us going to talk to the group, and then Yusei's new friend, and I didn't expect her to react how she did either. Look, Tyty… you know how I feel about you, but I don't want you getting into any trouble if it's wrong for us to be together-"

"No!" I shouted, my body starting to shake. "You mean everything to me, Luna. And if I… if you and I need to… stop, it won't be because someone else tells us to. I just want you to know that I will _never_ try and take advantage of you. I promise."

"I know you won't…" Luna whispered.

I shook my head. "I can sort th-this o-out…! I need-I need to go and apologize to Akiza. After I calm down, of course. I can't… I can't go over to her place like this, all jittery and on edge. Knowing me, I'll say something stupid." I felt like I was going to throw up, but Luna didn't need to know that.

Luna moved closer to me, running a hand through my hair. "Just relax, okay?" she cooed.

I nodded, lying back on the couch and slowing my breathing, smiling as Luna continued to stroke my hair. The two of us stayed in silence for a few minutes, my nerves slowly easing. "That feels nice…" I hummed, my eyes looking to Luna. "Thanks, Luna…" I smiled. "You're the best."

Luna giggled. "I was panicking before we Dueled Lester, but you kept me calm. This is the least I can do for you."

I sighed. "I should probably go over and apologize to Akiza. I can't leave things like this with her…" I mumbled.

"As long as you're okay though." Luna said.

"I am, thanks to you." I grunted, getting up off the couch and walking over to the front door. "I'll be back in just a little while, okay?" I smiled. Luna nodded. My body twitched as I sighed, moving back over to Luna, hesitating as I looked down at her.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes, um…" I stammered, gently guiding her toward me as I leaned down, kissing her on the forehead. "Okay… now I'm gonna go, I'll… be right back…"

"O-okay…" Luna breathed. I nodded, straightening myself up as I walked over to the front door, slipping my shoes on. As I opened Luna's door, I wasn't at all expecting to find Mina, in her Public Security uniform, standing on the other side.

"Ooh!" she straightened up. "I was just about to knock. It's a good thing you're here."

"Mina. What… are you doing here?" I asked.

"Akiza called me and told me to come here. According to her, you and Luna have been engaging in some inappropriate activities together. Is that true?"

My heart leaped into my throat, her question, her words, the fact that Akiza had told her to come to the penthouse, making me emetic. "I… um…"

"Perhaps I should come in so we can discuss a few things. I trust that Luna's here, isn't she?"

I swallowed audibly. "Y-yes…" I croaked, moving aside as Mina made her way into the penthouse.

I couldn't keep it together any longer, rushing to the restroom as quickly as I could to rid my body of its building exudation. Unfortunately, though I would've liked my vomiting to have been silent, I involuntarily made sounds as I did, and I was certain that after I had finished, that both Luna and Mina had heard them.

I groaned, heaving breaths as another weird sound escaped my body. "Fuck…" I whispered, my arms and legs like lead as I pushed myself away from the toilet, feeling my head spin as I whimpered uncomfortably to myself.

I flushed away my spill and cleaned myself up as best I could, before I left the restroom to re-join the girls in the living room.

"Tyler…" Luna whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know…" I answered truthfully. My entire body jerked as I turned to Mina, fighting back every urge I had to break down, burst into tears, or beg to not get branded with a Criminal Mark and sent to the Facility. "W-what a-are you gonna d-do?" I asked her so incredibly softly, that it was a wonder that she even heard me.

"Well I'd like to speak with Luna in private, if that's okay."

"Of course." Luna nodded. "How about we go into my room?" she offered.

"Alright. Lead the way." Mina smiled. Luna nodded, walking over to the staircase as Mina followed behind her.

My sickness returned, and so I made my way back into the restroom, it not taking long for my body's gag reflex to get going again.

On the bright side, I think I lost, like, six pounds in total from puking. Though there might've been some blood in there as well, which I knew I'd probably need to get sorted out at a later date.

I could've gone out and sat in the living room and waited for Mina and Luna to return, but instead I opted to stay in the bathroom for just a little while longer. Everything had just gotten so out of control so quickly, I just wasn't sure what the point of any of it was. It was obvious to me that I was gonna get sent to the Facility. I couldn't run or hide from it, and I knew the best thing to do for everyone would just be to accept whatever came my way and protect Luna.

I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror, trying to imagine myself with a Criminal Mark. I hoped at least that whoever did them would put mine out of the way somewhere, like on my forehead, maybe in the shape of a T, or a lightning bolt, or something cool like that.

I slapped myself hard in the face, on the opposite side that Akiza had done, and took a deep breath. "Okay…" I whispered, heading out of the restroom and back into the living room.

Neither Luna nor Mina were there, so I assumed they were both still up in Luna's room talking. Wearily, I walked over to the couch and slumped down onto it, leaning back and closing my eyes. I had almost fallen asleep by the time I heard Luna's bedroom door open and the two girls walked down the steps to meet me.

Luna's sweet smile distilled whatever negative thoughts I had, and in her I trusted that everything was going to be okay. I hoped that at least for Luna's sake, it would be.

I cleared my throat, getting up off the couch. "So… um… what's-what's the verdict?" I asked reluctantly. "Am I going to jail?"

Mina's eyes widened. "No, of course not!" she shouted, as if the very suggestion was preposterous. "Luna's told me everything. As far as I can tell, the relationship is not one of a sexual nature, so there are no problems with what you're doing at the moment." Mina explained. "And when Luna turns thirteen, you'll both be able to do what you like. Well, within reason, of course."

"Why thirteen?" I asked.

"That's the age of consent."

" _Really_?" I asked, surprised. "I thought it was, like, eighteen or something."

"Well, depending on the district, the age of consent may be as high as eighteen, but here in New Domino City, it's thirteen."

"Wow…" I muttered.

"I'm not actually sure why Akiza called me over here, to be honest. Everything seems fine." Mina smiled.

"So is that it then?" Luna asked.

Mina nodded. "Yep. That's all. I'll see myself out. Thank you both for your time and cooperation." She smiled, bowing to the two of us. I watched Mina leave the penthouse, unsure if what I'd heard was actually what she said. I turned to Luna.

"Um…" I mumbled. "Luna, I… What did you say to Mina…?"

"The truth." She said. "That I love you, and I've felt that way ever since you saved me from the Spirit World. That you've been incredibly sweet and a true gentleman, and that you'd never ever think of doing anything inappropriate to me."

"I was really worried." I admitted. "I thought I was gonna get arrested and sent to the Facility."

"No way." Luna shook her head. "I wouldn't let that happen. You're everything to me…"

"Luna…" I whispered, my cheeks reddening. Luna moved closer to me, but for her sake, I backed away. "I think I should probably brush my teeth and stuff before we kiss again…" I muttered.

"Good idea." Luna said quickly. "Actually, I think there might be some spare toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet. C'mon." she cooed, taking my hand as she got up, leading me back into the bathroom.

While Luna looked in the cabinet for an unused toothbrush, my mind drifted to Akiza. I was in the wrong with her, definitely. And I had to make things right with her, preferably as soon as possible. But with everything that had just gone on with Mina, I wasn't really feeling up to it. And I was also honestly a little bit upset that Akiza had even contacted Mina in the first place, as if what went on between Luna and I was even _anything_ to do with her!

Maybe I wasn't as in the wrong as I thought I was.

"Here we are!" Luna chirped, handing me a toothbrush. "I'll leave you to it, okay? I'll be in the living room."

I nodded. "Th-thanks, Luna."

* * *

Luna convinced me to stay the night at her place, and so I found myself once again sleeping in Luna's bed with her. Leo called and said he was staying with Dexter, which actually fitted in with our plans really well, as Luna wanted to make up for what happened the day before.

Luna and I spent the following morning vegging out, watching TV and eating sushi which she'd gotten delivered _and_ refused to let me pay for. I'd offered to take her out and do something together, but Luna said that she was perfectly content just keeping things simple, so long as she was with me.

My right hand reached around and up against my cheek. "This isn't good…" I muttered.

"What?" Luna asked, looking up at me as she rested gently against me.

"I haven't shaved for two days and I'm already getting that hectic stubble."

"Can I touch it?"

"Sure." I smiled, Luna reaching up and running her fingers along my face. Luna giggled.

"Does it tickle?" I asked.

"Yeah," Luna giggled again. "In fact, I was wondering if I could…" she trailed off.

"If you could what?"

"Kiss it."

"Yeah, if you want to." I smiled. Luna leaned in close, pressing her lips to my cheek.

"It feels funny…" Luna said once she'd pulled away.

"What do you think? Should I get rid of it?"

"I think… If you like it, keep it. If not, get rid of it. Either way, it won't change how I feel about you, and it shouldn't change how you feel about yourself either."

"I think you might just be the best thing that's ever happened to me." I smiled, running my fingers through her hair.

"I've had those thoughts about you for a long time." Luna beamed back. "Oh, how's your cheek by the way?"

"A lot better. I think I might go and see Akiza this afternoon and just try and clear things up with her. I've had some time to think, and I've worked out what I'm gonna say, so everything should be fine."

"A-are you gonna come back here after?" Luna asked.

"Of _course_! If you want me back, I mean. Like, I fully get it if you want, like, a day or just some time to yourself where I'm not around. I'm new to this whole relationship thing and I don't pick up on social cues very well, so, if you want me to go, you can just be like 'Hey, Tyler, you can go now', and I'll go."

"I don't want you to go. You complete me…" Luna whispered.

"Well, you're my anchor. You keep me safe, you keep me sane." I smiled, looking down at her. "I'm sorry. That's probably not what you wanted to hear. What I mean is… you mean the world to me, and… I honestly don't know what I'd do without you…"

"Aww, Tyty…" Luna smiled back, giving me a quick hug, myself of course hugging her back until Luna moved away. "I'm gonna get a drink. You want anything?" Luna asked, getting up off the couch.

"No thank you, but I appreciate the offer."

Luna nodded, heading into the kitchen to get herself a drink. I turned back to the television, re-engrossing myself in the episode of Pretty Cure that we'd been watching, obviously more out of Luna's interest than my own.

I heard there was a knock at the front door, and Luna was preoccupied in the kitchen, so I got up to answer it.

"I'll get it," I called to Luna as I walked over to the front door, opening it out wide. "Hel-" I couldn't even greet the person at the door as I found myself punched in the face, staggering back as my hands moved to my nose in late defense.

"You made a mistake checking in on Facebook!" Jack shouted.

" _What_ _the_ _Hell_?!" I grunted.

"Tyler!" Luna shouted, forgetting about her drink and thankfully rushing to my side. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"You'd better have a copy of that engine design!" Jack shouted, rushing forward and pushing me up against the wall. As my head hit the wall, I felt blood start to run from my nose.

"Jack! What are you doing?! Let him go!" Luna shouted.

Jack ignored Luna completely, entirely focused on me. "I know you deleted Yusei's engine program – _our_ engine program from the computer!" He accused. "What I wanna know is why! No! I don't even wanna know why! I just want you to give it back!"

"Dude! My computer runs Windows XP! I couldn't run your engine program even if I _wanted_ to! I can _barely_ run that bloody pinball game! Why would I steal your engine program?!"

"You're the only other person who knows the password to login onto the computer!"

" _Jack_!" Luna screeched. "Leave Tyler alone!" She shouted. Jack sighed, letting go of me as I luckily landed on my feet, retreating to Luna's side. "Okay… Now, what happened? Start from the beginning."

"I got a call from Yusei where he said that today, he woke up to find that someone had broken into the garage, gotten on the computer, copied the data over, deleted it from his machine and took one of my Red Demon's Noodle cups."

"I _did_ tell you to back up everything. That's, like, bush-league IT. I'm surprised that Yusei's new boytoy didn't think of doing that…" I muttered.

"So are you admitting you did it then?!" Jack barked.

"Look, I'm not gonna be interrogated by someone whose only redeeming quality is their _height_. And you know what? The fact that you'd even _think_ I'd steal the engine is just messed up, okay? I may be a temperamental post-suicidal amnesiac with possible control issues and a total lack of empathy when it comes to certain people, but I am _not_ a thief. You've got the New Domino IT Crowd at Poppo Time, and you've got a girlfriend who's a _reporter_. Why don't you do some _proper_ _investigating_ instead of resorting to violence because you think I took the engine design, based solely on the fact that I was angry with Yusei yesterday?"

"Jack, Tyler's been with me the whole time. There's no _way_ he could have taken the engine design! And Tyler _wouldn't_ either! You _know_ that!" Luna insisted.

"Well _someone_ took it…" Jack muttered. "And if it wasn't you, then it must've been Bruno…"

And with that, Jack just left, leaving myself standing in the living room with blood running down my face. Luna came to my aid with a couple of tissues and a bag of frozen corn. Taking the tissues from her, I wiped away the blood, scrunching my face up as with every touch, my face throbbed in pain.

Luna took me back over to the couch and sat me down. "Just sit back and relax, Tyty. A few months ago, there was a first aid thing at school, and I learned what to do with bruises and cuts and all that. I'll take care of you."

I moved away, a little hesitant. "I don't want to mess up that bag of corn though. Get it all bloody and everything."

"You'll be doing Leo a favor. He hates corn." She smiled weakly. "Here, just let me…"

I sighed, closing my eyes as Luna pressed the bag against my face softly. The cold felt so nice against my throbbing face.

"This just hasn't been my weekend, has it?" I groaned.

"It's all my fault." Luna sighed. "If I hadn't have insisted that we go and see Yusei, you wouldn't have gotten into an argument with Akiza, and you wouldn't have met Yusei's new friend, and Jack wouldn't have accused you of stealing the engine."

"It's not your fault, Luna. You can't control how people are gonna react. I'm just sorry you've been caught in the middle like this. It was never my intention." I sighed. "I shouldn't have gone off at Jack either. I mean, of _course_ he'd be angry that someone stole the engine design. That's all him, Yusei, and Crow have been working on."

"That still doesn't give him any right to punch you in the face." Luna pointed out.

"True." I agreed, Luna bringing the bag of corn away from my face and wiping around my nose with more tissues. "Thanks for doing this…"

"Not a problem at all, Tyty. I know you'd do the same for me." Luna leaned up, pressing her lips against my forehead. "There we go! All better!" She chirped. "Well, for the most part…"

The front door opened again, and Leo walked in. "Hey guys. What's up?"

* * *

Leo had a hard time believing Luna and I that Jack had physically assaulted me, and to be honest, I did too. I was really glad though that Luna stuck by me. If she hadn't have been there, I'd have probably ended up with more than just a bloody nose. I was really grateful for her.

Apparently, Leo didn't actually get much sleep at Dexter's place, so when he came home, he basically put himself right to bed, even though it was still late morning.

"I think I'm gonna go and see Akiza now." I said, getting up from the couch. "And… I'll come back after, if you want…"

Luna nodded. "Please,"

I nodded back. "Okay…" I whispered, heading towards the front door when my cell phone suddenly started ringing. Hesitantly, I brought the phone out of my pocket, seeing that it was Jack who was calling me.

"Who is it?" Luna asked.

"Jack." I took a deep breath, before answering the call and putting the phone against my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey. So, Yusei and I were able to find out who it was that took our engine design. It wasn't Bruno. It was actually Lazar. What he needs it for I don't know, but Yusei and I are gonna go track him down and take back the design by force if we have to. You gonna help us?" Jack asked.

I waited, exhaling quickly. " _And_ …?"

"And what?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I don't know. How about 'I'm sorry I accused you of stealing the engine design and almost breaking your nose'?" I said, doing my best to imitate Jack's voice, which actually came pretty easy to me.

"Oh yeah… Sorry about that…" Jack apologized. "Anyway, will you help us track down Lazar?"

"That depends." I said. "Is that Bruno guy gonna be helping?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "…Yes."

"Then no, I won't." I answered. "Sorry that I'm being petty, but I just don't get a good vibe from the guy. Besides, I've got my own plans and things I need to take care of anyway."

"Look, I don't think the guy's all he's cracked up to be either, but this is bigger than him, this is about our engine design. I didn't want to do it either! But Lazar stole my Red Demon's Noodle as well! And Yusei gave this speech that made me realize that we need to all be in this together."

I thought it was absolutely hilarious that _Yusei_ of all people had said that, given what had happened the day before, but I didn't say anything in regards to that.

"My answer is still 'no', Jack. You punched me in the fucking nose for no reason." By this point, my filter was long gone, and I had forgotten that Luna was still standing behind me.

"You know, considering how few friends you have, it's _amazing_ how poorly you treat them!" Jack snapped.

"I could say the same to you." I replied, with the same conviction.

"That's it! If you're gonna be like that, then you can forget about you and _I_ being friends!" Jack snapped.

"Oh no! _Really_?" I feigned sadness. "How _will_ I go on?" I asked. "I'll try and find a way to get by without your _invaluable_ friendship. Have fun when Public Security arrests you for assaulting the Vice Director and trespassing on government property." I smiled.

"Fuck you!"

"Back at ya, cunt…" I simply said, hanging up the phone.

Although the call was over, my anger kept rising. I let my phone fall from my hand to the floor, before I planted my foot down onto it, breaking it. I let out a vehement growl, before quickly walking out of the apartment.

Leo came out to see what the noise was, but by that time, I was already out the door. Luna followed me though, over to the elevator, and I had only then remembered that she was with me. "Tyler, wait!" she called. I stopped, but I didn't turn to face her. "What happened? What did he say that made you-"

I didn't say anything. Luna cut _herself_ off. I don't really know why. It might have been because she saw how incredibly tensed my body was. Instead she just walked over, put her arms around me and hugged me. And that was all she needed to do to get me to start to calm down.

"I'm sorry for swearing…" I apologized. "A-and for death growling… And for waking Leo… And for being a jerk… And-"

Luna shushed me. "Stop."

"See?! This is what I mean!" I blurted. "One moment I'm all 'gotta be a better person, don't swear!' and then the next minute I'm swearing my head off again and it's like everything that I'm trying to do… I just don't…" I trailed. "This _sucks_! I suck!"

"You don't suck." Luna assured me.

"I have to go and apologize to Akiza…" I whimpered. "I just feel like I'm gonna… _explode_ … I…"

"Just be safe…" Luna urged. "I want you back here when you're done, okay?"

"O-okay…"

"Do you promise?"

"I… I promise…"

* * *

I didn't actually know where Akiza's house was, but it was nothing that I couldn't find out with a little Facebook stalking, of which afterwards I deactivated my account. There was only so much I could take, and getting punched in the face practically _because_ of Facebook was the final straw.

Akiza's house was massive. Almost as big as Rex Goodwin's Mansion – at least I thought it was. My memory _might_ have been failing me. Even so, everything was grand, neat, and tidy, and _that_ was just from what I could see from the outside. The garden out the front was absolutely beautiful, and I figured that was probably what had made Akiza interested in flowers and plant-themed cards.

I sighed, my heart beating defiantly in my chest, legs shaking as I walked to the front door. I took a moment to ready myself before I rang the doorbell.

It only took a few seconds for Akiza's mother to answer, opening the wooden door, but keeping the wire one closed and locked. "Tyler." She simply said.

"Hi…" I muttered, my voice quiet, keeping my eyes on hers. "I was wondering if Akiza was home. I'd very much like to talk to her."

Akiza's mother put her hands to her hips. "I'm quite sure you would. Akiza told me what you said, and I think it would be best if you left." She said.

"Please, if you could just let me talk to her for a second, I'd like to apologize. _Please_." I begged.

Akiza's mother sighed. "Alright, come on in." she relented, unlocking the door.

"Thank you." I bowed, Akiza's mother letting me into the house.

I was right in thinking that the inside of the house was flawless. Wide and spacious, to me it seemed to be a bit too much room for a family of three, and probably wasn't an easy task to clean, though the house was _definitely_ clean.

I looked to a painting that hung on the wall, one of a beautiful countryside with hills and the ocean. Next to which were family photographs, a lot of them old ones, and from what I'd known about Akiza, were from before her powers had manifested. There were a couple of recent photos too. Such as one with the family and Yusei, taken just after she'd gotten her Duel Runner Licence, but I knew that there was an emptiness there. Not just visually with the photos, but within Akiza as well. And as much as I thought about it and her at that point, it was also something that I kept forgetting.

"Akiza!" Her mom called, standing below a great wooden staircase. "Would you come down for a moment please?!" she asked, then turning to me. "I trust that you know what you're going to say to her. Don't make me regret this."

"I do, and I won't." I said, though I didn't appreciate her tone of voice.

I heard Akiza walk quickly down the steps, until she saw me, and then she froze. Akiza's mom looked between the two of us and then excused herself. Surprisingly, Akiza took a few more steps forward, before stopping just at the end of the staircase.

"Tyler, what are you doing here?" Akiza asked, myself putting a hand out for silence.

"Please don't say anything until I've said what I've needed to say." I took a deep breath. "I'm a dick. But that's no excuse. I don't know why I said what I did. I mean, I'd like to say that I was drunk, but I wasn't, and I'd like to say that I don't care about you, but I do. You are one of the… most awesome, coolest people I have ever met… And I honestly don't have an excuse for what I said. You were right to slap me, and… I'd let you do it over and over again, if it helped. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I-I'm not even looking for forgiveness. You don't have to forgive me. I just need you to know that I'm sorry. You're such a great person, and I know that you and Yusei will work through th-"

"Yusei and I aren't going to work out." Akiza interrupted. My mouth opened just a little, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I was speechless. Akiza continued. "You know I called him? I called him _seven_ times today, and _three_ times yesterday. I thought any more than that, and he might see me as needy or cloying. He didn't pick up _any_ of those times. I thought maybe he'd call me back – he hasn't."

"Akiza, someone took the engi-"

"I went around to Poppo Time. Yusei told me he was busy, and asked if I could come back later. I understand that he has other things to do, but I thought maybe after he was finished, he'd call or come and visit me – he hasn't." Akiza sighed. "The only person who's visited me today… is you. Even though we had a fight, even though I hurt you, even though I…" Akiza cleared her throat. "You didn't need to tell me about you and Luna. I could see it on your face when we met up. I knew that what you and Luna were doing wasn't sexual, and to be honest, aside from kissing, Yusei hasn't even…" I watched tears slowly start to form in her eyes. "I wish Yusei cared about me the way that you care about Luna…" her voice wavered. My expression softened, and I brought her into my arms as she started to cry.

"Please don't cry…" I mumbled. "Even though you do still look beautiful, I just don't think crying suits you." I tightened my hug just a little, feeling Akiza's body shiver in my embrace, trying not to think that her chest was pressing against mine. "Listen. You and Yusei… I never knew that was something I could have, or even wanted with anyone, but you showed me it was okay. The way you kissed Yusei, the way you put everything out there, that's what Luna did too. And I'll admit that I was shocked when she did that, but I thought about it and… realized that… there aren't many people like Luna, and I'm lucky to have her. Yusei's lucky to have you, and at this moment he might not see that, but he will. I promise. Don't give up on what you and Yusei have… _Please_ …"

Akiza looked up at me. "What's the point, if _he_ already has?"

"You _know_ he hasn't…" I said softly, a faint smile on my face. "Yusei's never given up on anyone. Why would he give up on you?"

Akiza looked down, her grip on my body tightening. "Well he's barely even spoken to me since last week. Does _that_ sound like someone who hasn't given up?"

"What about six months?" I asked. "I didn't see you guys for six months, but that didn't matter to you. You guys didn't hate me, even though you had every right to. You were all just glad I was around at all. I know it's a little different because you and Yusei are dating, but you do need to give him just a _little_ bit of space."

"Do you feel like you need space from Luna?"

My hands dropped to my sides. "…I feel like Luna needs space from me. I mean, she is without a doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me, but if I keep acting like how I have been around her, I'm not gonna be doing her any favors." Akiza started laughing softly. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"It's not how you _act_ , Tyler. It's what you _do_. This week I saw you take her to and from school every day. You might not think that's a big thing, but it is. I mean, have you _seen_ the way she looks at you? Part of me thinks that if she hadn't have kissed you, you'd have _never_ realized she had feelings for you!"

"I probably wouldn't have…" I replied honestly. "But I'm glad she did, and you should be glad that you did the same. I know this is gonna sound all cliché, but I think you and Yusei are meant to be together." I said, Akiza scoffing. "No, I'm serious. He's the one for you. You've realized that, and maybe he hasn't, but trust me. He will. He'd be an idiot to turn away from someone as beautiful and as awesome as you!"

Akiza smiled warmly, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Tyler…"

"Anyway, um… Are we… Are we good? Like, are we still friends?" I asked.

Akiza's smile widened. " _Best_ friends."

* * *

I was in a really good mood leaving Akiza's house, probably the best I'd been in for the whole day. Aside from the whole thing with Jack, which I honestly didn't give a fuck about, everything was pretty much perfect. I just had to go back to Luna's penthouse and apologize for how I acted, which I was heading over to do.

I took a corner and then straightened up, moving in front of an incredibly slow driver and then increasing my speed, wanting to get away as quick as I could without going over the speed limit.

A noise came from my Duel Runner's speaker, my eyes veering from the road ahead to look down at my Runner's monitor, which showed another Duel Runner approaching from behind me at high speed. Jack's Duel Runner.

Before I even knew it, Jack had appeared beside me on his Runner. "Okay, Tyler. Let's Duel! I'll show you what the King of Turbo Duels can do!" Jack shouted.

"Jack?" I asked, turning to him.

"There's no talking your way out of this, so just shut up and Duel me!" he barked.

"Are you serious, dude? What the Hell's gotten into you? Is this payback for me calling you a cunt?"

"Kneel before the King!" Jack yelled, ramming his Duel Runner into mine.

Both my Duel Runner and my body shook as sparks formed between the two of our Runners as his made contact. I tried my best to maintain control of my Duel Runner, but I skidded and almost hit the side of the lane. At the speed I was going, if I had've fallen off, I'd have probably died.

"What the _fuck_?! Are you tryin' to kill me?!" I snapped.

Jack laughed. "Activate Field Spell… Speed World 2!"

Just like my Duel against Lester, the lane shifted and morphed ahead of us. This time though, it was the voice of a young woman that was heard encouraging non-Dueling vehicles to vacate the soon-to-be Combat Lane. Once again, guard rails with screens popped out both sides of the lane, all of them reading ' _DUEL-LANE 372591-C_ ' across the screens.

A blinding light whipped forward and back around Jack's Runner and mine. It was similar to something that had happened at the beginning of my Duel with Lester, but I hadn't seen it happen any other time during a Turbo Duel. Whatever was going on, Jack wasn't letting up.

"I guess I don't have a choice…" I muttered, switching my Runner into auto-pilot.

Jack laughed again. "Of course you don't, you pathetic imbecile!"

"Alright, _that's it_!" I snapped. "I'm gonna beat the living crap out of you!"

"If you're so sure, I'll even give you the first move!" Jack and I had now lined up again, side-by-side. "Are you ready?! Turbo Duel! Accelerate!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP, 0 SPC]  
[Jack: 4000 LP, 0 SPC]

"Alright…!" I shouted, drawing from my deck. "I Summon Tyrant Eel in Defense Mode!" placing my card down, a demonic-looking purple merman appeared next to me, before becoming adorned in a blue hue [DEF: 1000]. "That's it for now!"

"My turn!" Jack shouted.

[Tyler: 4000 LP, 1 SPC]  
[Jack: 4000 LP, 1 SPC]

"From my hand, I Special Summon Solar Wind Jammer!" Jack placed a card onto his field, a weird spiky purple-looking thing appearing as it floated alongside him, before also glowing a deep blue [DEF: 2400].

"I've never even _heard_ of that card before…" I muttered.

"Next, I activate Speed Spell - Ascension! This reduces all damage we take from Speed World 2 to zero until the End Phase, so I'll now activate Emergency Teleport! Come forth! Psychic Commander!"

Another monster appeared on Jack's field, this one a crazy-looking army dude in a floating tank. Much like Solar Wind Jammer had done, Psychic Commander slowly turned blue, indicating its battle position [DEF: 800].

Now, I wasn't a good Duelist, and I was nowhere _near_ being on the same level as Jack, but I knew what he was up to. And the unfortunate thing about _that_ was that I wasn't prepared for it. "No! There's no way…!" I shook my head.

Jack laughed. "There is! I tune my level three Psychic Commander with my level five Solar Wind Jammer! The pulse of the original King now forms a line here! Witness the birth of true power capable of shattering the heavens! I Synchro Summon my soul, my pride, Red Dragon Archfiend!"

I looked on wide-eyed as both of Jack's monsters turned into white stars, a pillar of light coming forth which temporarily blinded me. When my vision returned, Jack's ace monster had taken the field, the giant creature drawing heavy breaths as it let out a powerful roar [Red Dragon Archfiend: ATK: 3000].

"I'm not done yet! Since I haven't Normal Summoned this turn, I can bring out my Twin-Sword Marauder!" As Jack's weird-looking warrior appeared on his field [ATK: 1600], it was as if my heart stopped. "Twin-Sword Marauder, attack!" Jack shouted, my Tyrant Eel sliced clean in half, leaving me defenseless. "Now I play my Marauder's ability! Since it was a defensive monster I just destroyed, you take the difference as damage!"

A powerful shock ripped through my body, though compared to what I'd felt against Lester, it was nothing. Still, as far as I knew, Jack didn't possess any powers to inflict real pain with monsters, so I did find it incredibly frightening that he seemed to be doing just that.

[Tyler: 3400 LP, 1 SPC]

"Next, Marauder's _second_ ability activates, letting me attack you again! Twin-Sword Marauder, direct attack!"

I couldn't even brace myself as Jack's warrior launched itself at me, sword high in the air, before bringing it down on me.

[Tyler: 1800 LP, 1 SPC]

I gagged, feeling my insides churn as phlegm and blood left me.

"And now! For the coup de grâce! Red Dragon Archfiend! Absolute Powerforce!"

Jack's dragon loomed overhead, and I shut my eyes, waiting for the end.

Within an instant, the end came.

[Tyler: 0 LP]


	15. Machina del Diablo

"Taze…" I muttered. "Where are we going?"

Taze turned, smiling back at me. "Just for a walk. You seemed kinda down, so I figured maybe… you know, just walking around near the lake might do you some good. Fresh air and stuff."

"Lake…?"

I looked out, a beautiful lake only a small distance away from where Taze and I were standing.

_They said just to talk as if you were awake… so that's what I'm gonna do, okay? I hope you can hear me…_

Taze nodded, reaching a hand out to mine. "Come on. It's this way…"

Without even thinking, I took Taze's hand in mine, following behind as we walked along the lakeside. I could feel sticks, twigs and branches gently stroking the bare skin of my arms and lower legs as I walked by them, the crunch of branches and leaves beneath my shoes. I had no idea where I was, but I felt at peace. It was almost as if there was New Age music playing in the background as we walked. Without even willing it, I could let my body walk and my thoughts run, as I listened to the waves washing up on the shore.

"It's beautiful, isn't it…?" Taze whispered. I nodded, and when Taze didn't get a verbal response from me, he looked back to me and I nodded again.

As I looked out to the lake, I felt tears well up in my eyes. "It's so peaceful…"

_You're crying…_ _are you okay_ … _?_

"I'm fine…" I smiled.

"Sorry?" Taze asked.

"Did you just ask me if I was alright?"

Taze shook his head. "No. I don't need to. I know you're not. I can see it."

"I swear I just heard someone call out to me…" I muttered.

"Maybe someone did." Taze smiled. "But don't worry about that now. Just walk… you're free…"

"Free…" I muttered, looking down at my hand intertwined with Taze's. I looked back up at him, and his eyes met mine, Taze smiling at me reassuringly.

_Oh, you're here too? I'm sure Tyler will be happy to know you came to visit him…_

"That… that voice…" I muttered.

Taze turned back to me, taking his hand from mine. "Everyone's worried about you. Her especially."

"Are you worried?" I asked.

Taze shook his head. "I know you'll be fine in the end." Taze then pointed to a couple of birds trying to attack the other by swooping. "Look at them, attacking each other." He said simply. Taze then turned back to me. "Besides, there's nothing we can do really. You'll wake up when you wake up."

"Wake up?"

_The city's falling apart, Tyler. But Yusei will save us, I know it…! I'm here and I'm not leaving you!_

Taze nodded. "You're as safe as you can be here, and you've got a guardian angel watching over you."

"Yeah, who's that?"

Taze's voice lost all of its gentleness as his voice became serious. "Luna." He said. "Have you told her you love her yet?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Well, it's obvious she loves you. Do you love her?"

"Of course I do." I said, my brows furrowed, like Taze's question was a stupid one.

"Well maybe you should tell her that."

_Yusei did it, Tyler… I don't know how, but he did it… Everything's gonna be okay…_

"Tell Luna I love her?" I asked.

Taze rolled his eyes "Duh-doy! Yes! The fact that she's taken the time to come and visit you while you're here, doesn't that tell you she cares? That she loves you?" Taze didn't even let me speak. "The answer is yes, Tyler."

"Yes, Taze…" I mumbled.

_I can't wait until you wake up_ … _when you do_ …

I heard a splash in the water behind me, and I took my hand from Taze's. The two of us turned to the water, bubbles forming just below the surface. I could hear a soft coo in the distance, but even though it sounded innocent and gentle, it frightened me.

"What is that?" I spoke softly.

"I don't know. Looks pretty fucked."

"Yeah…"

_So today_ , _um_ … _was our Duel against Team Unicorn_. _It was tough_ , _but Yusei won_. _I wish you could've been there_. _It was so cool_ …

"I don't like this… Let's keep moving." I suggested.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." Taze assured me.

I wanted to believe Taze that it was nothing, but I couldn't. My eyes kept to the water, the bubbles becoming more and more profound as time went on. "I don't think that's nothing…"

_I'm heading over to Yusei's place now for the celebration_ , _but I'll be back real soon_ , _I promise_ …

I turned back to where Taze was, but he had disappeared from my sight. I was alone, trapped in a place that I knew nothing about. My body was frozen, and I felt something inside of me, almost like a switch had been flicked. I could only watch as the water rose up from the lake, reaching higher and higher into the sky, until finally, it came crashing down, the tides sweeping me away as my vision began to blur and I pointlessly struggled to stay afloat.

_I love you_ …

* * *

Voices.

I could hear voices around me as my consciousness stirred. Vague, muffled voices. I wasn't sure if they were talking to me, or about me. For all I knew, what they might've been talking about could've had nothing to do with me. I tried to say something, but I wasn't sure if anyone heard me. My eyesight was failing me as well, everything just a complete blur to me.

I was scared. Everything seemed just so foreign to me. I made another sound, absolutely anything at all that I could muster, and that was when I first felt something. Someone reached out and took my hand in theirs. I didn't know who it was, but I wanted to thank them because I wasn't scared anymore. I tried squeezing whoever's hand was intertwined with mine, but I don't think I was very successful.

The faint vision I had started to leave me, but rather than fight it, I just let myself slip back into the darkness. It seemed though that I wasn't meant to do that, as my consciousness stirred and I found myself lying in a rather uncomfortable bed in a dimly lit room. My body was restrained by several different things. I couldn't move my head, as my neck had something clamped around it, and my arms, which I noticed had all these strange wires and tubes poking out of them, were strapped down on both sides of my body.

Using all the energy I could muster, I forced myself to make a sound, a low grumble escaping my lips as I hoped that someone, somewhere, could hear me.

Thankfully, someone did.

First a nurse, and then a doctor. Both came over to me, though I had trouble discerning what the expressions on their faces meant. The doctor said something to me, but it just went in one ear and out the other. I presumed that he repeated himself when he spoke again, the nurse's eyes drifting towards the machine that all the wires and tubes I had were hooked up to. "Can you say your name for me, please?"

"Um…" I croaked, closing my eyes. "Tyler Nochi~!" I grumbled, my voice cracking so incredibly, that I had trouble believing the voice was really my own. But it had to be.

"Age?" he asked.

"Eighteen~!" Again my voice cracked, though it thankfully wasn't as pronounced as last time.

"Okay." He nodded. "That's all the questions I'm going to ask you for now. I just want to let you know that you've been in a coma for three weeks. We're going to conduct a few tests in a while, but for now, we're going to let you get some rest, okay?"

"Okay…" I mumbled, though not quite sure I completely understood.

Both the doctor and the nurse exited my room soon after, and I was left to my own devices, for about a minute. As I kept confined to my bed, trying to recall everything I could, I heard shouting from someone outside, and then a rush of footsteps as three figures appeared by my bed.

Slowly, my brain was able to discern the figures around me, the three of them becoming more and more clear, until I realized who it was. Joel, Akiza, and Luna.

Another doctor came in and started arguing with Joel, who cursed up a storm and told the doctor to leave us in peace. Joel closed the door to my room, and then leaned his back against it with a sigh.

Luna mouthed my name to herself, before she rushed over to my side.

"Hey…" I whispered, my voice dry and scratchy. I probably looked and smelled like shit, but that didn't stop Luna from hugging me and burying her face into my chest.

I grunted in pain at the addition of Luna's weight on my body, an uneasy shimmer working through my back.

"Thank the Spirits you're okay!" Luna sighed, tears falling from her eyes. "If I lost you, Tyler…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "No, I don't even want to _think_ about that…! How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I don't know…" I muttered.

"We were all really worried about you." Akiza added, Luna nodding feverishly in agreement, moving off of my body and back to Akiza's side. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Uh…" I groaned again, trying to think back to how I ended up in the hospital, but everything just seemed a blur. "I was… coming back from… from your… your place, I think. And… I don't remember… what happened after…" I sighed. Akiza, Luna and Joel all looked to each other, exchanging glances and expressions. "What? What is it…?" I asked.

Akiza opened her mouth to explain, but Luna cut in. "It doesn't matter right now. All that matters is you're alive and safe!" She chirped, though her tone seemed forced. Luna hesitated, before quickly moving towards me again. "Um… I said I'd do this if-when you woke up… so, I'm just gonna…" Luna trailed off, leaning down and pressing her lips against mine.

I did my best not to breathe on her, as my breath was probably absolutely rancid from being unconscious for a little under a month. That didn't stop Luna though, as I felt her hands move to cup my unshaven face, tears falling from her eyes onto my cheeks. I could feel her diaphragm having a spasm.

Luna pulled back, sniffling as she wiped the tears away, a smile on her face. "I'm just so glad you're okay…"

"Luna…" I muttered, before sighing. My eyes traveled to Joel, who looked like he had a million questions about what just happened. In spite of how we, for lack of a better word, ended things, I was still really happy to see him. After all, it showed he cared, and after how we'd left things, I wasn't sure if he did. And Yusei, Jack and Crow were nowhere to be seen.

Jack…

_Kneel before the King!_

"Jack…" I whined, remembering how I'd ended up in the hospital. Jack had forced me into a Turbo Duel and absolutely destroyed me. "Where's Jack?" I asked.

"Um… He's, um…" Akiza stammered.

"Don't worry about that now, man." Joel smiled. "We'll tell ya later." Joel's tone shifted, and like Luna's before, I could tell it was forced. "But what's happening here, eh? Between the two of you?" Joel's finger motioned between Luna and I.

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend." Luna said. If I wasn't still partly out of it, I probably would have given some reaction to how straightforward Luna was. I just sort of laid there while my brain tried to follow what was going on.

"Oh." Joel shrugged. "Kinda weird, but whatever. It's about time you had your first kiss, and I guess it explains why she was here every other time I came."

"You visited me?" I asked Luna.

"Of course I did." Luna nodded.

"Wh-when…?"

"Um…" Luna paused. "At least once a day… except once, um, I couldn't, because… I was in detention after school."

"Wha…? Why?" I asked.

"I think we should go…" Akiza said to Joel. "Leave them to it…"

"Okay." Joel nodded, turning to me. "Dude, I'm headin' off now, but I'll be back later on, probably tomorrow or whatever. If you need me, just call."

I wanted to nod, but I couldn't. "Okay… thanks for visiting…"

Joel smiled, heading out of the room. "I'll be just outside for you, Luna, okay?" Akiza cooed. Luna nodded, and then Akiza followed Joel out.

"What happened at school?" I asked.

"I, um… I sort of got into a fight…" Luna mumbled. "It's not what you think. See, a lot of people at school knew about the accident, um… it was on the news and stuff, and… Sly was saying some hurtful things about you and, well… Leo and Patty stood up for you, and then the boys started fighting, and I tried to break it up, but I couldn't. And the teacher came in and thought that I was involved. Leo insisted I wasn't, but the teacher didn't believe that. So me, Patty, Leo and Sly had to stay behind after school. That's the only day I didn't visit you."

"I heard you…" I muttered. "You were talking to me… I heard your voice… I was near a lake with Taze, but… I could hear you, like you were right beside me…"

Luna sighed, getting down next to me, resting one of her hands near my chest. I turned my head as best I could to look at her, but it wasn't easy.

"A few years ago, I collapsed after a Duel, and I found myself in the Spirit World. Although the Spirits kept me safe while I was with them, I had no idea what was happening to me in the human world. And then, I heard Leo's voice… He was beside me while I was trapped, while my body was alone. I didn't want you to be alone, Tyty. I wanted you to know that someone cared, that I… _I_ care…" Luna muttered. "If I could've stayed here forever, I would have. But I had school, and the Grand Prix preliminaries were going on, and there were visiting hours I had to abide by, and I couldn't always get transport here."

I honestly felt like crying. Not because I was upset, but because Luna was apologizing for the fact that she couldn't be with me all the time. For three weeks I had no way of talking to her or even responding to her remotely. I couldn't let her feel down about that, not when she'd spent so much time here with me. She had done so much for me, and I had given her nothing in return. "Luna…" I mumbled. "Don't apologize for not always being here. The fact that you were here with me just once, let alone almost every day means more to me than anything. I wouldn't have expected you to come even once." My body started to tremble as I recalled what Taze, or whoever that was in that place, had said to me, and all of the times that Luna said she loved me. How I'd never said it to her. "Luna, I…" I stopped, feeling my emotions starting to get the better of me. "I love you too. I will always love you…"

* * *

I spent the next week in hospital recovering from my injuries. Apart from the coma itself, which apparently occurred due to trauma, I'd also suffered a back injury, as well as some damage to my ribs and pelvis. The doctor said I might have issues with memory recall for a while as well, but I honestly didn't feel any different brain-wise. And it was nothing that I couldn't handle after being prescribed some new medication.

I'd found out what happened to Jack after Joel caved while he was high one time. Apparently, Jack had not only assaulted me through a Turbo Duel, but several others as well. Originally, I thought perhaps that Jack was angry at me for what I'd said to him, and that's why he lashed out, but there were three other people that Jack had allegedly put in similar conditions to me, and they had no personal connection to Jack whatsoever. I thought going down to the Public Security Bureau and giving a statement would help things, but Joel said the best thing I could do was just not say anything to risk complicating matters.

Regardless of everything that was going on, slowly but surely, I was on the mend. Unfortunately, I didn't have a Duel Runner anymore, as it had been pretty much destroyed during my Duel with Jack. Though to be fair, it wasn't like I could have ridden it in my state anyway, even with the auto-pilot on. The worst thing about that, to me, was that I could no longer take Luna to school.

So that was it for me, relegated to the sidelines, spending almost all of my time at my apartment after getting discharged from the hospital. On the bright side, I was given monetary compensation for the bodily harm Jack inflicted, though he was now serving time in the Facility, as Public Security had closed the investigation.

As a result, it was Akiza, Crow, and Yusei who entered the Grand Prix together, with Bruno and the twins helping out in the pit, under the name Team 5D's. Luna came around every day to visit me, bringing me food, giving me plenty of hugs and kisses, and showing me videos of some of the Grand Prix Duels she recorded on her phone. Yusei, Crow, Akiza, Leo and Joel did come to see me a few times as well, but Luna seemingly came to visit whenever she could. I shouldn't even have to mention, but Team 5D's won their first two matches by the time I was given the all-clear.

I took the train to Poppo Time, which itself was a struggle since it was so packed. I think I got to second-base with a couple of strangers, and I'm pretty sure I had my right ear licked at one point. Regardless, when I arrived at the garage, I saw Yusei and the others standing around a table laden with various food and drink items, the group chatting away happily.

Carly and Mina were there, arguing about something. So was Bruno, who I wasn't too thrilled to see, but he wasn't the main reason for my visit. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Hey…" I spoke softly. Surprisingly, everybody stopped their conversations and turned to me as I took slow steps into the garage. "Sorry to pop in like this." I apologized. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Tyler…" Yusei muttered.

"Tyler!" Luna shouted, rushing over to me. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be out of bed, you should be resting!" she told me.

"I wanted to come see you guys…" I breathed audibly, closing my eyes. "I mean, you guys are in the finals now, right…? I couldn't _not_ come and congratulate you."

"We could've come to you if you wanted to see us…" Crow said.

"I'm gonna go…" Carly spoke suddenly, collecting her things, moving away from the table and heading out of the garage.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"Carly's still a little upset about what happened with Jack." Yusei explained. "Are you _sure_ you're alright to be up?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah… I mean, I've been at my, um… …apartment… for… a while…" I looked down at Luna, smiling softly. "I would've gone absolutely _insane_ if it wasn't for Luna… And as I said, I couldn't not come over and congratulate all of you."

"Thanks, man." Crow smiled. "Oh, hey, if you wanna eat anything, grab a plate, there's plenty."

"No thanks. I'm fine."

"Suit yourself." Crow shrugged, before turning back to the table and piling food onto the plate he was holding.

"Hey, um… Actually speaking of Jack, I just wanted to also say, I'm really sorry about everything." I said.

"We don't blame you, man. Luna told us how he accused you of stealing the engine design, which, by the way, that was all him. We knew it wasn't you. I tried to tell him, but he just went off and did his own thing, as usual."

"Don't worry about it, Crow. Luna and I have already talked about it a lot, haven't we?" I asked Luna, who nodded.

"I just want to make sure you're okay to be up and about though." She said.

"Actually, that reminds me." I began. "I do want to tell you guys, that the doctors put me on some new medication." I rushed to retrieve the bottle from my pocket. "And the side effects include mild drowsiness, mood swings, loss of appetite and potential verbal dysphasia… whatever that is. Anyway, I'm gonna try and keep myself under control as best I can, but I just wanted to let you guys know."

"Thank you for letting us know." Akiza smiled. "And if you need anything from us, please just ask. We only want to help you."

"Luna said the same thing…" I muttered.

"That's because it's true!" Luna chirped.

"I know." I smiled.

"Bruno, are you okay?" Yusei asked. "You don't look so good…"

I turned to look over at Bruno, whose face looked incredibly pale, sweat dripping from his forehead and drenching his clothes. "I'm just a little dizzy. I think I'll go for a walk and get some fresh air." He said, taking slow steps out of the garage.

_Just walking around near the lake might do you some good. Fresh air and stuff._

"Okay…" Yusei uttered.

"Luna, can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked her softly.

"Hm? Of course!" she smiled, myself leading her out of the garage and away from the group. "Everything okay?"

"Did I do that?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"Well, first Carly leaves, and now Bruno. Have I done something wrong? Because you guys were all having fun, and I show up, and everyone starts leaving and I just make things morbid. I don't know… do you think I should leave? I-I mean, I'm obviously causing more problems-"

" _What_?! No, no! Tyty, no!" Luna urged. "Leave if you're tired and need a lie down, but don't leave because you think you're causing problems, because you're not. Everybody wants you here. Like Yusei said, Carly's upset about Jack, and whatever's going on with Bruno I can guarantee is not because of you." Luna intertwined one of my hands with hers, looking up at me with a sweet smile. "Now why don't we go back inside, and I can get you something to eat from the table, okay?"

"Okay…" I mumbled.

Luna led me back into the garage and over to a vacant seat. "Just sit down, alright?" she cooed. I nodded, sitting down wearily.

"Are you guys okay?" Akiza asked.

"Ye- _yes_!" I stammered, clearing my throat. "Yes… I'm fine…" I wanted to get away from myself as a subject, so I decided to ask about all the things that had happened while I was in a coma, which Luna had told me a little bit about. "So is it true you met Yugi Muto in the flesh?" I asked Yusei.

Yusei nodded. "It's a long story, but a masked man named Paradox stole Stardust Dragon from me, and then the Crimson Dragon took me back in time to track him down. I traveled to Italy where I met a kid named Jaden, and then the two of us went back further in time, which is where I met Yugi. Anyway, so we Dueled Paradox, and I was able to get Stardust Dragon back. But… even though the three of us defeated him, Paradox said something that I haven't been able to shake."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Crow asked.

"Well, he said that he came from a future that was ruined by Duel Monsters, and that's why he came back and took Stardust Dragon from me, and that's why he attempted to kill Pegasus. He wanted to get rid of all traces of the game."

"Wait… he tried to kill Pegasus?" I asked, Luna walking over to me, handing me a plate and then pulling up a chair beside me.

"He _did_ kill Pegasus. A lot of other people died too, but then we went back in time again beforehand with Yugi. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it, to be honest. If it hadn't have been for the Crimson Dragon, there's no telling what the future – our present would be like…"

"I stayed with you while the city was collapsing." Luna explained. "I wasn't worried, because I knew that Yusei would be able to save the city, but I just didn't want to leave you alone."

"Thank you…" I spoke softly to Luna, turning to look at her with a smile.

"I'm just not quite sure about everything that he said. The last thing I want is for us all to be heading towards a ruined future, but…"

"Don't worry about what some crazy guy said, Yusei." Crow piped up. "He was probably just spouting nonsense. Besides, you beat him, and nothing bad has really happened since then. The city is fine, and everything's back to normal."

I took a bite of one of the sandwiches on my plate, frowning just a little as I heard the sound of an engine revving in the distance. "Anybody else hear-" I stopped, realizing I was talking with my mouth full. "Anybody else hear that?" I asked once I was finished eating.

"I don't hear anything…" Leo muttered.

Suddenly, I heard a beep and then some distorted chatter, turning to Mina as she reached for her handheld transceiver which was strapped to her hip. "This is Mina Simington. Come in. Over." She spoke.

Another engine rev.

"Okay. _I_ heard something then." Akiza said.

"I wonder what it could be…" Luna mumbled.

"I don't know…" Yusei muttered. "But it can't be good…"

Two more engine revs. But this time, unlike the last two which seemed to fade into the distance, the sound of the engines got louder, until two Duel Runners, obviously with riders atop them, came into sight of the garage.

"Sherry! Elsworth!" Yusei called, the two Duelists stopping in their tracks and removing their helmets. "Do you know what's going on out there?"

"We do…" Sherry muttered. "An army of Duelbots is parading through the city and attacking any Duelists they find."

"Duelbots?" Yusei asked. "You mean… like the Ghost?"

"Sounds like it…" Crow muttered. "Do you know what they're after?"

" _Non_ …" Sherry muttered.

I watched Mina exit the garage, moving past Sherry and her companion, who I assumed was the one named Elsworth. "Well maybe they're just tryin' to crash the Grand Prix…" I said. "I mean, there are still other Duels going on, aren't there?"

"Whatever it is they're doing, we can't just let them!" Yusei shouted.

"Easier said than done, Yusei." Elsworth said. "We took out a few on the way here, but by the looks of things, there could be over one hundred of them throughout the entire city."

"What?! Are you serious?!" Crow shouted.

"So what do we do?" Leo asked.

"There's only one thing we can do." Yusei said. "We gotta find out whoever's controlling these Ghosts and put a stop to them! If they're attacking innocent people, we have to at least try and protect them. We saved New Domino City once. We can't let these Ghosts disrupt the peace!"

"Right on!" Crow shouted, Akiza nodding in agreement.

"We should split up into groups. Sherry, Akiza, you come with me." Yusei instructed. "Elsworth and Crow! You two should go together."

"What should I do?" I asked. Yusei turned to me.

"Even if you had a Duel Runner, in your condition it wouldn't be safe. Stay here and look after the twins, okay?"

"What?! But _I_ can Duel!" Leo protested. "I'm a Signer and I've got a Duel Board and everything!"

"Leo, you could _die_!" Yusei shouted. "There's no way you're heading out there with us." Yusei turned to me. "Tyler, take the twins upstairs and stay indoors. I'll call you if it's safe to come out."

"I kind of don't have a phone anymore…" I muttered.

Yusei grunted. "Okay. Luna, make sure you have your phone on. I'll call you when everything's over."

"I will." Luna nodded.

* * *

The twins and I were seated in Zora's living room, watching TV as I tried doing and watching almost anything to take my mind off of what was going on outside. I wouldn't have tried that if I could've actually been helping, but as things were, I couldn't, so there was no point in me getting hung up about stuff that, inevitably, Yusei had a pretty good track record of fixing by himself.

Zora wasn't in the house when we came up, but both the front and back doors were unlocked, so I was a little suspicious about what was going on there. Nevertheless, I took a quick look around the house and found nothing out of the ordinary, at which point I decided it would be best to lock the doors.

"I hope Yusei's okay…" Luna said softly.

"He'll be _fine_." Leo assured his sister. "You worry too much sometimes, Luna."

"What? I can't believe _you_ of all people are saying this!" Luna retorted. "You were so worried at the Fortune Cup, and then when Yusei was battling the Dark Signers-"

"Yeah, but that was all _before_ I became a Signer, and now that I am one, I can see that all those times I was just worrying unnecessarily."

"Leo, being a Signer doesn't automatically make you smarter or anything. It just lets you call on the power of the Crimson Dragon. Nothing else. You know that, right?"

"Nu-uh!" Leo insisted. "I can use my Signer Power too!"

"Except that you don't have one." Luna pointed out.

"Well… not yet, but soon! Soon I'll get one, o-or maybe even _two_! You'll see!"

I shifted back on the couch, a slight discomfort running through my body. I must have made a sound, because both twins turned to me. "Are you okay, Tyler?" Luna asked.

"Y-yeah…" I said. "I think the painkillers I took are wearing off though."

"That's not good. Are you able to take more?"

"Well I _could_ , but then I'd go over the recommended dosage, and I don't think that's really a good idea." I explained. Luna nodded, and I turned to her. "And hey, thanks again for looking after me for so long."

"It's not a problem at all, Tyty. I'm just really glad you're okay now. I know I've said that a lot, but I just… I feel like I can't say it enough." Luna smiled. "And hey, if you… if you need me to rub your back or anything, I-I'd be more than happy to."

"If you guys are gonna do that, I'll just go somewhere else…" Leo grumbled.

The three of us turned to the front of the house, as there was a banging at the front door. "Hello?! Is anybody in there?" a voice called.

"Oh crap…" I muttered, getting up off the couch in spite of my back pain and racing to the door, quickly unlocking and opening both sets. "Zora, I am so sorry!" I apologized. "It was just a precaution. See-"

"I know." Zora cut me off, walking into the house. "There's a big group of Turbo Duelists rampaging through the city. I went into town to return a Library book, and on the way back, a bunch of them came through while I was at a crosswalk. They very nearly could have killed me. I swear, the younger generation today has no respect for the road rules."

"It's not what you think, Zora." I told her. "What's going on out there in the city isn't normal. I don't know if Yusei told you about the Ghost business, but basically, there was this Turbo Dueling robot that was causing accidents throughout the city quite a few months back. And now… now there's apparently a whole bunch of 'em riding around. Yusei and the others have gone out to try and take them on, and he told me to stay here with the twins."

Zora nodded. "Well… in any case, I'm glad to see that you're okay. I heard about your accident. You look like you're recovering well."

I nodded. "Thanks to Luna, I am."

Zora turned around, locking both of the doors again. "Is the back already locked?"

"Yes." I replied. "Yusei's going to call Luna when it's safe to come out."

"Alright then." Zora said. "I guess we-"

The sound of thunder seemed to come out of nowhere, swallowing Zora's words, my bones almost leaping out of my skin. The four of us turned to the window, surprised at how different everything seemed to be. It was a cloudy day before, but now it was absolutely dreadful. The sky was almost completely black, and a haze seemed to disfigure our view of everything along the ground outside.

How the weather had suddenly changed, I hadn't the faintest idea.

The one light we had on above us flickered a couple times, with the television cutting out randomly. A bolt of lightning struck the ground outside, most likely leaving a scorch mark, although I couldn't see it. Finally, both the television and light went off, the house surrendering to an ominous darkness.

"A power outage?" Leo asked.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Luna muttered.

The thunder and lightning roared louder and louder, the glass windows around us breaking as Luna let out a yelp and almost rushed into my arms, furniture getting thrown about by the wind.

"It's gonna be okay…" I cooed, even though I wasn't sure about that. By now, the lightning had almost turned into pure light, pouring infinitely from the sky. Luna continued to huddle with me until the lightning suddenly stopped, only to be replaced with a flash of light and an incredible explosion. And with that, it all began again.

Both the twins cringed, clutching their arms in pain as I stupidly asked them "What's wrong?" when I could see that both their Signer Marks had lit up.

"Yusei…!" Leo shouted. "I can feel his struggle…!"

Luna nodded feverishly in agreeance.

"It's gonna be okay…" I repeated, more to try and instill that belief into myself than project it to the others. The thunder and lightning continued on for several more minutes, and even with my eyes closed, I could still see the purple hue. That was however, until it faded, quickly replaced with a white light, along with a comforting warmth. I opened my eyes. "What could this be…?" I whispered.

"It feels warm and kind…" Luna hummed. "Do you think it's Yusei?"

"It _has_ to be!" Leo shouted.

The light grew brighter and brighter, until it really didn't make any difference whether or not I had my eyes shut. But then as quickly as the light grew, it faded. "Is everyone okay?" I asked, opening my eyes to see Luna look up at me.

"I-I'm fine, I think…" she mumbled.

"Me too." Leo added.

"Zora?" I asked.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." She breathed, walking over to us. "But I'll tell you, getting old is not fun at all… I just need a moment…"

"Okay." I nodded.

"Hey! Look outside!" Leo shouted. Luna and I turned to see that while the outsides of the houses and fences we could see were damaged and wrecked, the sky itself was now as clear as day, the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. It was all bright blue and lovely. If none of the houses or other buildings in the city had been damaged, I could have sworn that it was just a normal day.

"Everything looks wrecked…" I muttered.

"At least we're alright." Luna said to me, myself getting to my feet and helping her up.

"It all changed so quickly though…" Zora uttered.

"So does that mean that Yusei and the others won?" Leo asked.

"Yes…" I said softly. "I think so…"

* * *

"At noon today, New Domino City experienced a huge disaster during the World Racing Grand Prix. Many teams participating in the final preliminaries were injured, and many people not involved in the tournament were also injured. Many of the Combat Lanes and buildings surrounding the Kaiba Corp Stadium were damaged. As a result, the Public Security Maintenance Bureau has suspended the Grand Prix until further notice. Angela Raines reporting for New Domino News."

Zora turned her television off, turning to myself and the twins. "I'll help you clean up this mess." I said, looking around at all the broken glass and strewn furniture.

"You don't need to do that." Zora assured. "I'm just glad that none of you got hurt. Why don't you go and wait outside the front of Poppo Time for Yusei and the others to return?"

"Yusei said he'd call me when it's safe to come out." Luna reminded us.

"Well it looks okay to me." Zora said. "Maybe his phone is out of power. We did only just get reception back for the TV."

"I guess so…" Luna muttered.

"So why don't you go out and wait for Yusei?"

"Well… A-are you sure? I'm _more_ than happy helping you clean up in here." I offered.

"No, no. It's fine."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yes, yes! Go on, you three. I'll be fine."

"Alright, well… thank you, Zora, for letting us crash at your place, and I'm sorry about everything." I bowed.

"Yes, thank you so much." Luna added, following behind me as I walked over to the front door and unlocked it. Leo got up, and in turn followed his sister out the door. "Hey, um… Tyler?" Luna asked.

"Yeah?"

"Um… thank you for holding me… back there…" she said.

"No worries." I smiled. "Thank _you_ for always visiting me! _And_ for cooking all those meals for me, and for-"

"You're welcome, Tyty." Luna giggled.

The three of us walked out to the front of Poppo Time, waiting for Yusei and the others to return. For several minutes, Luna and I chatted to each other (it was mostly me thanking her for being such a terrific person) until we caught sight of five Duel Runners in the distance make their way over to us after entering from a side-street.

My eyes widened, noticing the familiar Duel Runner, the Wheel of Fortune, and the Duelist riding astride it. Yusei, Akiza, Sherry, Elsworth, and Jack of all people, slowed to a stop near us. Leo rushed over, while Luna and I walked at a slower pace. My mind was racing, trying to figure out how Jack was in front of me, when the last I heard he was in the Facility.

"Yusei!" Leo shouted, before he began rambling to the group about everything that happened, though none of them looked like they were really in any mood to listen.

"Jack…" I muttered, at a complete loss for words. "I… How did you…? I…"

"It's a long story." He sighed, though he didn't sound like he was in too good a mood either. "Basically there was a fake me running around and injuring people, giving me a bad name, and when the city experienced a power outage, I was able to escape from my cell, track down the fake me, and beat him."

"…What?" I spoke softly.

"Never mind. That doesn't matter now…" Jack brushed my confusion away.

"Why are you guys all lookin' so depressed?" Leo asked. "Where's Crow? And Bruno?"

"We don't know where Bruno is, but… Crow…" Yusei muttered. It was the first time I had seen Yusei like this. He almost seemed close to tears. With everything that had happened with the fake Jack and the coma and the Ghosts and the real Jack, my brain wasn't prepared for what Yusei said next. "He… he's dead…"


	16. Cry of the Black Birds

Luna came over to me, placing a cup of coffee into my hands from behind me, myself seated on the couch. I turned to her, the two of us exchanging gentle smiles. There was no point in either of us talking. I think I knew what was on everybody's minds, and I wanted to do my best to not add fuel to the fire or upset everyone. Jack had basically done all of that anyway by asking stupid questions that even _I_ knew the answers to.

_Was Crow really dead?_

Yes.

_How did he die?_

One of the Ghosts ran him off the Combat Lane he was on and into the ocean.

_How could Crow be alive one moment and dead the next?_

That's just what happens.

If it sounded like I was being deliberately pessimistic, annoying, or that I even had the courage to say any of that, I didn't, and my mood wasn't _deliberate_. It was just more or less mental responses to what Jack was asking. The fact was, it was all true. Although Crow didn't deserve to die, he did die, and going over it all a thousand times in our heads wasn't going to make it any easier. If anything, it would have just made us more depressed than we already were.

I could tell that's what Yusei had been doing, and that's why he had that glazed look on his face. The same one he had ever since coming back to Poppo Time and telling us what happened.

Luna sat down beside me, placing a hand on my leg as she looked up at me. I once again gave her a reassuring smile before laying back against the couch in silence. Yusei sighed heavily, getting up from his seat and leaving the room, Jack's eyes following him out.

* * *

Standing by the door, I watched silently as Jack typed away at the laptop he was on. He was down in the garage at Poppo Time by himself, as Yusei had gone to take the twins home. I couldn't discern the expression on Jack's face, but I knew he was upset. As I slowly walked down the steps, Jack quickly glanced over at me, and then back at the computer. I walked over to Jack, standing behind him.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly.

Jack let out a quick breath of air. "Yep."

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at… the options we've got, in terms of a service for Crow…" Jack muttered.

"You don't need to do that now." I told him.

"When do _you_ think I should do it, then?!" Jack suddenly snapped, turning around to look up at me.

"When you're in a better frame of mind. I know what death can do, how it can make you feel, and jumping right in and looking at funeral plans and all that… that's not something that you need to do right away, not when you're like this." I sighed. "Look, I can take care of it if you want." I offered.

Jack straightened up, getting out of his seat. "Right, yeah. Because… you know what Crow would want… you know him better than the rest of us… you know what kind of service he would have liked… that right…?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Exactly. You don't know. You have amnesia… so stop thinking that you would know what Crow would want better than _me_ or _Yusei_. _We're_ the ones that remember him. _You_ don't."

"I-I'm sorry, are you blaming _me_ for what _Sayer_ did?"

"Well, you never really spent any time with him, anyway. Even after the whole Dark Signer thing. You had plenty of opportunities to, but you decided that it would be best to pretend that none of us existed for six months."

"Look." I said firmly. "I don't care that I have amnesia, I really don't, but the fact that you _blame_ me for having it, is fucked. It is _actually_ fucked." I stated. I figured that if Jack was going to get all angry, there was no reason why I couldn't.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, well-"

"No!" I snapped. "You know what?! I wish _you_ were dead instead of Crow, you fucking cunt! I am sick and tired of this whole fucking thing! I'm fucking-that's it! I'm just going!" I yelled, storming out of Poppo Time.

* * *

I was livid, probably more so than I had ever been. I just couldn't cope anymore. I headed home as quick as I could, which took about forty-five minutes considering I had to walk. So by the time I actually got home, my feet were killing me, even more than usual.

I kicked my shoes off, the footwear flying into the wall, bringing myself over to my bed before promptly collapsing on top of it.

I laid there for a while in silence, trying to force myself to fall asleep, which didn't end up working too well. Partly because it was pretty much impossible to force myself asleep, but also because of the weird hissing sound coming from the floor below mine.

My thoughts drifted to the elderly lady who lived on the floor, and in a momentary lapse of reason, I ripped myself away from the bed, forcing myself up and out of my apartment. I didn't even bother to lock it as I headed quickly to the elevator, punching in '3F' on the control pad once the doors had opened.

I waited for a while, stewing in my own anger, depression and rage. Everything was fucked up. I just wanted some peace and quiet, but I couldn't even have that. She wouldn't shut up. I wanted her to shut up. I'd make her shut up.

The doors opened and I stepped out onto the floor, only to come face to face with a tall blue-haired man who had a small Criminal Mark on the right side of his face.

"Who are _you_?" He asked. "This is mine and my friends' floor. You can't just come up here uninvited."

"Uh… excuse me? It's a fucking apartment floor, you jackass!" I snapped, attempting to move aside him. Unfortunately, the man narrowed his eyes before intentionally obstructing me. " _Look_!" I said firmly. "I am _really_ not in the mood here. Someone's making noise on this floor and they have _got_ to stop, _seriously_."

"So you want to investigate some strange noises, huh?" the man pondered, before a smile formed on his face. "We're still not gonna just let you on our floor for that."

"Are you serious? Were you dropped on your head as a child or something? Let me through!" I demanded.

"You're from here, aren't you?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why do you care?"

The man chuckled. "So am I… But see, I've been to The Facility, and I've been to the Satellite. I've picked up a few things too. I know how to deal with cocky smart-mouthed fuckwits, so unless you want to get fucked up, you keep your mouth shut and get back on that elevator. You hear me?"

Now it was my turn to laugh, although mine was more boisterous than his. "You think you can threaten me?" I asked softly. "I've been to Hell and back, _literally_. I tried to take my own life by throwing myself off a penthouse apartment building. I've seen things that would fuck up your mind and destroy your soul. I've met people whose entire beings have been consumed by darkness. So do you think I give a shit about some fucked up lanky cunt like you?" I started walking towards him, my eyes wide but stern. Nostrils flaring, I slapped myself across the face with my right hand as hard as I could. " _Answer_ _me_! _Do you think I care about a lanky fuck like you_?!" I yelled.

"Man, you're fuckin' crazy…" the man muttered, finally stepping aside after a brief moment of hesitation. "Alright, you can move past me. But I've ain't never heard any strange noises."

All of my limbs were shaking, and every part of my body was in pain as I walked. It was probably because of my intense anger that it took me a while to realize that the noise which I thought was coming from the old lady's apartment was actually coming from the apartment on the opposite end of the floor. Nevertheless, I stamped on over to the apartment door, all but barging in to find two men having a Duel on the floor using game mats.

"Ah! I lost _again_!? That's _three_ losses in a _row_ …" the taller one mumbled.

"I'm stronger! Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi…!" said the shorter one with weird-looking hair.

My body tensed as I felt my nails dig into my skin, curling my hands into fists. _That_ was the noise. The incessant homicide-inducing noise. The tall one looked over at me. "Hey, looks like we got a visitor. Do you want something?" he asked.

"Actually, yes, I do. I'm actually trying to get some sleep and-"

"Shi-shi-shi…! Does my voice bother you?" the short one interrupted. Before I could answer though, his friend spoke up again.

"We have to get along with our neighbors. After all, good neighbors become good friends. I'll try and keep his voice down from now on."

"Shi…! Fine, I'll be quiet…" the short one grumbled.

It was almost instantaneous. All the anger I'd felt had vanished in that moment, and all I had left were feelings of dread, guilt, and sadness. "I… Th-thank you…" I muttered, turning and walking off, my face adorned with a dead, soulless expression.

* * *

The crappy weather, which I thought was just a byproduct of the whole Ghost thing and a one-off, continued for the rest of the week. Although there weren't any more thunder and lightning storms, rain pelted down aggressively over almost the entirety of the city.

It was a fitting backdrop to my depression. Since sorting out the whole 'weird noise' thing, I spent most of my time at my apartment sleeping – or at least trying to. For the most part, I had forgone general cleanliness and hygiene. My hair had become greasy, a light sheen to it, my clothes stained by sweat and body odor, my face adorned with a light crust of dried tears. Really the only time I had gotten up out of bed was to go to the toilet, at which point I'd just go straight back to bed afterwards.

I exhaled, turning around beneath the bed covers as I pressed the side of my head into my pillow a little harder, ignoring the sound of my front door rattling. I didn't move at all when I heard the front door open. In fact, it was only when I heard the door close, along with a faint humming from outside my bedroom that I became a little more aware of what was going on around me.

My bedroom door opened, and Luna's humming ceased.

"Luna…" I grumbled softly, slowly opening my eyes.

"Ooh! Tyty! Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you…!" Luna apologized. "I was just coming over to check up on you and bring you some more food, I… I figured you might not be in the mood to cook."

I shuffled around on the bed, turning to Luna, smiling at her as she held a brown paper bag in her hands. "You're a sight for sore eyes…" I muttered, gently wiping at my face. "I don't think you should get too close." I told her as she took a step towards me. "I'm not really, um, presentable… at the moment…"

In spite of what I'd said, Luna came towards me anyway, sitting down on the edge of my bed, but no doubt holding her breath.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "I mean, I _know_ that things _aren't_ okay, but… do you want to talk about anything?"

I shook my head.

"Are you sure? You know you can always talk to me."

"I know…" I mumbled. "I just don't know what to say…"

"We… I…" Luna faltered. "I-It doesn't have to be about anything specific, I mean, I just…" Luna looked away. "I want to hear your voice… I want to hear that you're okay…"

But I wasn't. And I couldn't lie to Luna.

"I'm not…"

"Well then what can I do to help you?" Luna asked softly.

My eyes drifted from Luna's face to the bag she was holding, and then back to her face again. I wasn't really sure myself. I knew she wanted to help me, and I really did love her for that, but I just didn't want to keep relying on her. It had become apparent to me that ever since I met Luna, she had been my rock. But she was so young, and I had been pushing all of my troubles and issues onto her when I should have been trying to deal with it all on my own.

I sighed. I did know, however, that even if I did tell Luna that there was nothing she could do and that she was free to leave, she'd stay with me anyway. I couldn't fight against that, and I didn't want to either. Deep down, I knew that I was better off in Luna's company than I would be on my own.

"If…" I started. "If I went and had a shower, would you stay, and eat with me after?"

"Of course…" Luna smiled. "I'll go and heat some of these up in the microwave, and I'll put the rest in the freezer. Go on and have your shower, Tyty."

* * *

I spent a good twenty minutes in the shower cleaning myself, and then another ten minutes after that brushing my teeth. I half-expected Luna to have left by the time I was finished, but as I walked out wearing a fresh change of clothes, I saw that she was seated happily at the dinner table, which was really just a dinky old folding table with a couple plastic chairs either side of it.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Luna asked as I walked over to her.

"A little better." I said, a softer tone to my voice than what I'd had recently.

"Good, I'm glad." Luna smiled. "So, I made you katsu chicken curry, and I thought I'd do something a little different with my macaroni and cheese, so I put tomato and chili in this one." She said, getting up and bringing the plates over from the counter. "I also made you beef teriyaki and pumpkin soup, but I put those in the freezer for you. Is half and half okay?"

"Yes…" I said after a long while, just so enthralled by everything Luna had done for me. "That would be great…"

"Okay, awesome!" she chirped, placing both plates down at opposite ends of the table, which didn't really matter because the table was rather small. "Aren't you gonna sit?"

"Yeah…" I nodded, but not before pulling Luna's seat out for her.

"You didn't have to do that, you know…"

"I'd be a pretty crappy boyfriend if I didn't." I told her.

Luna continued to look my way as she sat down in her chair. I moved to the other end of the table, my hand running along its surface, before I sat down.

A meal with Luna.

For the first time in weeks, I smiled a genuine smile.

* * *

"You want _me_ to speak at the funeral?" I asked, rightly shocked at Yusei's request. I sat opposite him in silence, almost in amazement.

"Only if you want to." Yusei said. "I completely understand if you don't want to. It was Martha's idea. She wanted to get everybody involved. Akiza's doing floral arrangements, the twins are making a collage."

"Wh-what would I be speaking about?" I asked.

"Just… anything about Crow, really. A fond memory you have of him, what you like or admire about him, how he affects you." Yusei suggested. I noticed he was speaking in present tense, but I didn't make any mention of that to him.

"That might be a little hard for me…" I muttered, remembering what Jack had said.

"Look, I completely understand if you don't want to do it. I mean, you just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago, so-"

"I-It's not that…" I interrupted him. "I just don't think that I'm… You know, that I'd be the best choice to talk about Crow when I don't really… remember much about him, and I didn't really spend much time with him either. Wh-when I had the chance to, I mean. I don't know about before…"

"Tyler." Yusei's voice sounded. It was so different to how he'd been talking to me before. It was so commanding. "This is important, so I want you to look at me and I want you to listen." I did just that. "Back in the Satellite, you, me, Jack, Kalin, and Crow… we weren't just friends and teammates, we were brothers. There are things about you, Tyler, that are so deeply embedded within you that no amount of brainwashing or amnesia could ever take away. I've seen that, and Crow's seen that, and that's why even after all this time, even with everything that's happened, I still consider you family."

I wanted to believe that what Yusei was saying was true, but Jack obviously didn't feel that way, so I figured Yusei might have just said all that to try and make me feel better. And to be honest, if Jack hadn't have said what he said before, I probably would have felt better.

"I know what you're tryin' to get at, Yusei, but it really just seems like it's only true for you." I paused, looking away from Yusei for a brief moment. "I want to honor Crow, I do. He was never a dick to me." I turned away again. "Of course I'll speak at the funeral."

"Great." Yusei said. "It's still sort of… well, we don't know where it's gonna be yet… I'll, um… I'll keep you informed."

"No problem, Yusei."

* * *

I trailed my fingers down my suit and into the middle of my chest, gently brushing against my tie and shirt. I sighed, fiddling with my hair to make it look a little neater.

"Hey." Joel greeted softly.

I looked up, my eyes moving to his. "Hey." I replied with the same tone. I noticed that Joel was wearing black, and generally looking more well-presented than he usually did, so I asked "Are you coming to the wake?"

"Yeah, and the funeral…" he sighed. "I mean, I only met him the once, but I didn't want you to go by yourself."

I nodded gently. "Thanks… you… you didn't have to, but… thanks…"

"No worries, man."

"Yusei asked… if I could speak at the service." I told him.

"Are you going to?"

"Of course. For Crow, and for Yusei… I'll-I'll do it… I just don't know what I'm gonna say…"

"Well, if there's anything I can do, just let me know." Joel offered sympathetically. "In fact, I promise I'm not gonna get high or _be_ high during the wake _or_ the funeral."

"Thanks…" I said, smiling back weakly at him.

* * *

"There's really not much that I can say about Crow that hasn't already been said…" I almost whispered, standing in an unfamiliar room in Martha's orphanage. To say I wasn't a fan of public speaking would have been an understatement, but I'd promised Yusei I'd speak, and I wasn't about to break that promise. Though it might have just felt easier 'cause we'd all gone through the wake the day before, and by then, my nerves were all but gone.

People I didn't know, like Zora's son Lyndon (I didn't even know she had a son), some old guy named Bashford, and a bunch of people from Satellite Duel Gangs, showed up to pay their respects, along with, of course, Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Luna, Leo, Joel, Carly, Bruno and myself. All the kids that Crow had taken care of in the Satellite were present as well.

"There's nobody that I've ever met that's… like Crow… He looked after a lot of people here… the kids… and, from what I've been told…" a slight smile came onto my face. "He looked after me a fair bit as well…" I sighed. "You know, Jack said something to me the other week. He told me that it was impossible for me to know what Crow was like, because I had amnesia. And at the time, I was really angry about that, but he was right. I didn't know Crow from my time in the Satellite, but I knew who he was after that. He was just one of those people who would do the right thing whenever he could, and even with amnesia, I know there's very few people like that. Crow was literally one-in-a-million, and I'm… I'm thankful that I even got to know him."

I nodded slightly, having finished saying my piece as I walked down from the makeshift podium and returned to my seat. My speech paled in comparison to the one Yusei gave before me. His was all beautifully written and all about friendship and that. I didn't even know that Yusei was going to speak until he was called up. Everyone was so memorized by what Yusei'd said, and I'd only gotten passing nods from Luna and Akiza. I shouldn't have been thinking like that though. It was all about Crow, not me.

The ceremony continued, with Crow being given a new name in death, even though we had neither the wake nor the funeral at a temple, not that it really mattered, I guess. Truthfully, I didn't really understand most of it, but then again, I didn't have to.

"I think now would be a good time for, anyone who'd like to, to offer burned incense to-" Martha stopped suddenly, bowing her head and pressing a closed hand to her lips.

"Martha…" Yusei muttered. She didn't need to speak for us to know what she was going to say.

Row by row, people started filing out of their seats and walked over towards the coffin. Luna glanced over at me, and although I noticed her do so, I didn't return the look with one of my own. Joel got out of his seat and actually left the room entirely. For what reason, I had no idea.

"Hey…" Carly whispered from behind me, tapping me on the shoulder. "I need to talk to you."

I sighed, the two of us excusing ourselves from our seats and moving over to a quiet space at the back of the room. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Why didn't you go and give a statement in support of Jack?" she asked me suddenly. I turned to her, staying silent as she continued. "If you had've just given a statement, Jack would have gotten out of The Facility earlier. Do you hate him or something, or did you just prefer getting the money from the Public Security Bureau for keeping quiet?"

There were so many things I could have said in response to Carly, but most of it would have ended with me swearing at her. So instead of opting to cause a scene with Carly and ruin the funeral for everybody else, I turned and walked away, refusing to let her words get to me, lest I cut my own ears off to prevent myself from hearing anything ever again.

"H-hey!" Carly called, "I asked you a question!"

"It's really none of your business, Carly." I said to her, that being the limit to which I'd indulge in conversation with her.

"Excuse me?!" She shouted, but I kept walking. Once I had made it out of the room, I headed down the hall into the male restroom. Thankfully, it was unlocked. Unthankfully, Carly followed me in. "Hey!"

"The female toilet is further down." I said.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Carly shouted.

"Alright then. Come on, out with it. Tell me how much of a heartless monster I am."

"You _are_!" She asserted. "Has it occurred to you ever, that there are other people living in this world besides yourself? That everything you do has consequences?"

"Okay, that money was not to buy me off! That was compensation for the fact that my Duel Runner got destroyed and I was in a coma for three weeks, and my entire body's fucked." I motioned to my face. "This face is about the only thing that's the same. Here, look!" I rushed to take off my suit, not caring as it dropped onto the more than likely urine-soaked tiles as I showed Carly my chest. It was basically just a bunch of cuts and bruises, plus a deep gash near my abdomen. I was really fortunate though. Everybody else had died, and if I didn't look at myself in the mirror or in the shower, and took painkillers every so often, I'd forget I even had the scars. Carly was actually the only other person who'd seen my scars other than Luna, and the doctors and nurses at the hospital. "So Jack was wrongfully convicted! That is _not_ my problem! And I bet that if Jack really _did_ do all that stuff that you'd defend him anyway!"

"Of course I would!" Carly shouted, as if the very idea that she wouldn't was preposterous.

"Hey! Can you guys keep it down?!" a voice called out from behind an occupied stall. My stepbrother Joel's.

I turned back to Carly. "See? Can we do this later? And not in the men's toilets?"

"Oh, I'm not taking a shit." Joel said. "Hold on, I'll open up!"

"Please don't." Carly said. "We don't need to know what you're doing in there."

Joel however ignored Carly, unlocking the cubicle and throwing the door open, Carly and I looking down in shock as Joel sat, thankfully fully clothed, on top of the toilet seat, taking a hit from his bong, other random smoking equipment strewn out across the floor. "See? It's nothin'."

"Dude!" I shouted. "What the Hell?! You said you wouldn't do this!"

"I'm sorry, but it just got all depressing and shit. I had to…" He mumbled, as if that excuse justified his actions.

"I can't believe you! Can't you be sober for a _day_?! _Seriously_?!"

"Hey! I _was_ sober for a day! That one time in the card shop when I met you, I wasn't high. My dealer was a fuckin' stingy bitch and I-"

"Yeah! And you were a total obnoxious shit then, weren't you?!" I shouted.

"You mean kinda like what you're being now?!" Joel snapped back. "I don't give a flying fuck what you think about weed or anything, okay? It makes me happy, so I'm doing it!"

"The fact that you need a drug to make you happy is just sad." I told him.

Joel snorted. "That's rich, coming from you!"

"What the Hell have _you_ got to be sad about, _huh_?!" I screeched. "You don't have amnesia. You're not suicidal, you weren't in a coma for three weeks, and you're not mentally _fucked_ like I am! So why are you doing this to yourself?! And why are you doing this _now_ of all times when you _promised_ me you wouldn't?!"

My outburst came as a surprise, even to me, but I didn't regret it. Not at all. It was something that I felt needed to be said. It was true that I was better off than most, but compared to Joel, and Yusei, and everyone else who didn't have the problems I did, I couldn't even consider myself a real person.

Joel looked at me in silence for a few moments before letting out a quick sigh. "Okay…" Joel mumbled as he quickly moved to pack up all of his equipment. Once everything was put back in his bag, he zipped it up, got to his feet and turned to me. "Thanks for ruining my trip, cunt…" he spat, heading over to the door. Once again, Joel turned back to me. "And by the way, there's a _lot_ you don't know…"

With that, Joel pulled the door back and left the restroom, leaving just Carly and myself alone inside.

"I'm sorry…" I said to her. "You were just trying to stick by Jack. Of course you'd see me as the enemy. If I were in a similar situation, and Luna…" I trailed off. "…I would have done what you did. So, I'm sorry, my anger's been misdirected at you. I apologize."

"Apology accepted." Carly said.

"Can I just say something though?"

"Y-yeah, okay."

"You deserve better than Jack. You really do. Look, I don't really know him that well, and I've barely spent any time with him, but in the time we have spent together, he's said some quite hurtful things that I've tried not to let get to me. O'course, with how I am, everything gets to me eventually…" I sighed. "I can't even imagine that I used to be in a Duel Gang with him. All I'm trying to say is, and I don't even really know you that well to begin with either, but… if Jack is anything like what he is around me with you, you deserve better than him." I bent down to pick up my suit, but didn't bother re-buttoning my shirt as I put the suit back on. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" I said, turning around, opening the door and leaving the restroom with a sigh.

I barely had any time to gather my thoughts before I heard shouting coming from back in the main room. Against my better judgment, I walked briskly back in to find Jack and Joel having an argument in the otherwise completely empty room.

"Why the Hell are you even here, huh?!" Jack barked. "All you've done is cause trouble!"

"What's going on here?!" I shouted, rushing over to them.

Jack's head snapped to my direction. "I think you and your brother had better go…" he muttered, walking off in a huff.

"What did you do?" I asked Joel softly.

"Nothing…" he mumbled. "I just asked Jack if he was taking Crow's spot in their Grand Prix team and he went apeshit. I was just tryin' to be nice and start up a conversation and shit. Why are you friends with him again?"

"I've been asking myself that same question lately…" I sighed, in a way, sort of taking pity on him, in spite of our previous confrontation. "Come on." I said to him. "We'll go together…"

* * *

Joel and I moved quietly towards the front of the house, making our way out the front door which I had a little trouble getting to open.

"Should we tell someone we're leaving?" Joel asked quietly.

"Why would _anyone_ care what _I'm_ doing?" I said, and although it seemed like a question, the tone in my voice was nonexistent. I was then able to successfully open the door, the two of us treading out onto the paved ground.

"Well, I'm sure Luna would." Joel noted, before grimacing a little at the statue of Stardust Dragon.

"I'm pretty positive that Jack will let her know how much of a dick I've been…" I uttered.

"Tyler…!" Akiza shouted, myself turning to her as she ran up to Joel and I. " _There_ you are! Where are you going? Everyone's out the back saying their final goodbyes. Don't you want to do the same?"

I sighed. "Y-yeah… okay…"

Within only a few minutes, I had done a complete one-eighty, first deciding to leave with Joel and not say anything to anyone, and now staying to say my final goodbyes to Crow, no doubt everybody else inevitably finding out about everything that went on and asking uncomfortable questions. Joel and I followed Akiza past the tire swing and the old playground, around to the back of the orphanage where everybody else was waiting.

Crow's coffin hadn't made it out yet from what I could see, but everybody was outside. Yusei was with Bruno and the twins as Akiza and I walked over and joined the group. I noticed Jack walk over from afar as well, but neither of us said anything to each other.

"Listen, guys, I've been thinking." Yusei began. "Lazar is the Vice Director of the Public Security Bureau… so he must know what's been going on with Yliaster…"

"And _he'd_ be the reason why Crow died!" Jack added, Yusei turning to him.

"So what do we do?" Leo asked.

"What we should have done from the beginning. We're gonna go after Lazar and get him to tell us everything he knows!" Yusei shouted.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Akiza spoke up.

"It's not, but it's all we can do. We can't let Crow's death be in vain. We have to go after Yliaster, and we'll start with Lazar…"


	17. Psychosocial

"Alright, Lazar. It's time. Tell us everything you know about Yliaster." Yusei said.

Lazar sat across from us, his arms and legs tied to a chair, one of my chairs actually. Although I wouldn't have liked to admit it, it actually took us a while to catch Lazar. To make a long story short, it involved somebody whose name I won't mention (though it _definitely_ wasn't me) dressing up as 'Cup Ramen Man' to lure him to us. We put on a fake promotional event for some kind of ramen brand, and, really the whole thing was just ludicrous, but it actually worked, so in the end, it was worth it.

'Us' included myself, Joel, Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Leo, Luna, Bruno and Sherry, the latter of which decided on coming with us because she apparently had some sort of vendetta against Yliaster. The reason why this was all taking place in my apartment was because Yusei didn't want to apprehend Zora by keeping Lazar in the garage, Jack didn't want anything happening to Carly if we took Lazar over to her place, and I didn't want Akiza or the twins getting into any trouble, so I was more than happy to take the fall for the group.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Lazar shouted, struggling against his restraints. "And besides, you holding me hostage here is against the law! When I get out of here, you're all going to The Facility!"

"That so?" I asked. "No one knows you're here, Lazar, except for us, and… who's even sure about what's happening here anyway… We might have tied you up because you attacked us and we had to restrain you."

"Oh, really? You're looking perfectly fine to me! That's a lousy lie if I've ever heard one…!"

I got up, walking over to the countertop, opening one of the drawers and taking out a decently-sized serrated knife. Closing the drawer, I walked back over to the table, slamming my left arm down onto it as I drove the blade of the knife across my skin with my right hand, making sure to keep eye contact with Lazar. When I felt that enough blood had been drawn, I flipped the knife around, forcing Lazar to grip the handle, if only for a few seconds.

"There… Now your prints are on the handle, so Vice Director or not, you'll probably be looking at some sort of charge. I mean, now that it can be used as evidence should anything happen." I said simply. Lazar dropped the knife.

"I-"

"Listen, I'm willing to go a lot further, and the more damage I do to myself means you'll be in more strife later. So tell us what we need to know."

"Tyler, man. You gotta calm down!" Joel urged.

"Be quiet." I told him, turning back to Lazar. "Start talking."

"Very well." Lazar sighed, and then told us his story. "When I was younger, I was involved in my family's circus troop with my two younger brothers and mother. The audiences that we played to were incredibly small, and so we weren't really making enough money to make ends meet. And then, on my birthday, my mother got me a bowl of cup ramen." Lazar stopped, bowing his head slightly as though what he said following it was very hard for him to say. "The money she got to buy it… she got it by selling her stage costume! She sacrificed everything she had so that I could have one single bowl of ramen!"

Lazar's story was cut short as a card was thrown his way, narrowly missing his head as it got wedged into the back of the chair behind him. How a Duel Monsters card was able to penetrate plastic I wasn't sure, but I didn't care.

"I don't want to hear your sob story!" Sherry snapped, reaching over and grabbing Lazar's shirt. "None of that has anything to do with Yliaster, so get to the point already!"

"Damn… she's even hotter when she's pissed…" I heard Joel mumble.

Lazar exhaled shakily as Sherry released him from her grip. "Y-yes, of course… I… When I turned eighteen, I left home, promising I'd earn enough money to support my family, and I took a job at the Public Security Bureau. Of course, back then, it was called Sector Security. I performed a lot of menial jobs until I got the opportunity to work under Rex Goodwin himself. Eventually, I was promoted to Vice Director. I… I knew that Goodwin had ties to Yliaster in one way or another, but it wasn't until after he died, and the three new Directors came in, that I developed a connection to Yliaster. The three Directors… they call themselves the Three Emperors of Yliaster, and according to what I've overheard, they were the ones that orchestrated Rex's brother Roman's actions with the Dark Signers and everything."

"I know more than that." Yusei suddenly said.

"What? You do?!" Lazar shouted.

"When the Ghosts attacked the City, the Emperors appeared and told us exactly what they were planning. They told us that they want to alter the future by getting rid of Momentum, and that the only way to do that is to destroy New Domino City." Yusei explained, before walking towards Lazar and placing a hand on the table. "The Ghosts were also the reason that Crow was killed. It was an attack that they had planned to try and draw out the power of Momentum from Duelists. They plan to complete something called the Circuit, and once they do that, New Domino City will be wiped off the planet."

"What?! Why would they destroy New Domino City?!" Lazar screeched.

"Why the Hell do you think we brought you here?" Sherry asked. "You're supposed to know what's going on, but you've so far said nothing of value! I will _not_ let my parents' deaths be made a mockery out of just because you and your family have a ramen fetish!"

I turned to Sherry in shock. I had no idea that both her parents had died. The poor girl.

"Holy shit. This is startin' to get real…" Joel uttered.

"It got ' _real_ ' the moment Crow died, you inconsiderate jackass!" Jack snapped at him.

"Calm your tits, sasquatch." Joel sighed.

"Wait!" Lazar shouted. "There is one other thing. Three days after Rex Goodwin died, I received a phone call from someone who was enquiring about my status as Acting Director. They were the ones that originally told me that the Three Emperors of Yliaster were coming."

"Who were 'they'?" Yusei asked.

"To be honest, I can't remember off the top of my head, but the call log should be in the Public Security Bureau's database."

"Well where's the database?" Bruno spoke up.

"I'll show you." Lazar smiled. "It's in town. I can take you there." He once again struggled against his restraints. "Of course, I need this rope to be untied first."

Yusei sighed, walking over to Lazar and slowly untying his hands. Sherry moved, pressing herself against the table so her face was mere inches from Lazar's. "If you try and run, I'll kill you." Sherry said bluntly, Lazar's face going even paler than usual. Sherry pushed herself off the table, before collecting the card that was still wedged into the chair. Lazar got up, now freed, and sweating profusely.

Lazar swallowed audibly. "Alright everyone, follow me!" he shouted, leading the majority of the group out of my apartment. I was one of two who stayed behind, albeit only momentarily so that I could straighten the place up and lock everything. Luna stayed behind to talk to me.

"Hey…" she whispered to me, myself walking over to the sink. "Why did you do that to yourself?" she asked, obviously referring to my slit wrist.

"I had to." I told her, turning the faucet on and placing my arm under the cold water, most of the blood washing away.

"No you didn't." she said. "You could have…" she breathed. "I…" Luna was obviously at a loss for words. "Do you at least regret it?"

"Of _course_ I regret it." I said. "I'm bleeding, and knowing my luck, I'll get another scar that won't heal. But Crow died, so what's a bloody arm in comparison?"

"Don't _ever_ do that again." Luna said sternly. "Please. Just don't. I don't want to see you hurt yourself like that again. Promise me you won't do something like that again."

"Luna-"

" _Promise_ me you _won't_ do something like that _again_." She repeated. Her tone was different this time. I turned to her and saw that tears were welling up in her eyes. In that moment, I hated myself more than I ever had, just seeing how much my actions had affected her. I shouldn't have done it. For Luna, I shouldn't have.

I sighed, mostly out of anger towards myself. "I promise."

* * *

I stood out on the sidewalk, staring up at a giant neon sign that said 'Game Paradise' in big flashy lights. I rubbed my arm, now tightly bandaged. Yusei and the others followed Lazar inside while I just kept thinking how silly it all seemed. Lazar had brought us here, to the _arcade_ of all places, and we were apparently expecting to find all the answers to our problems hidden within.

"Dude. Game Paradise! I haven't been here in fuckin' ages, man!" Joel said to me, being the only other person still outside.

Joel waited for me to say something, but I didn't really know what to say, so I just said "Okay," to acknowledge his statement.

"What do you wanna do first? We can check out the Duel Terminals, play some Contra, or, dude! _Dude_! We can do co-op on GuitarFreaks! Fuckin' nail that shit on Master!"

I shook my head quickly. "I don't understand half of what you just said. Besides, I don't think that's why we're here."

Joel snorted. "Yeah? If you ask me, that retarded clown's just trying to get out of the interrogation. Speaking of which, how _hot_ is that Sherry chick? Like, dude, all that pent up anger and family issues and that. I reckon she'd be great in the sack."

"I'm going inside now." I said, pointing to the entrance as I walked through the huge doors. The place was pretty much deserted, so it was easy for me to find the group. My expression hardened as I saw that they were all crowded around a Duel Runner simulator, Lazar sitting in a rather shabby-looking plastic mold of a Duel Runner. "What's happening here?" I asked.

"Apparently, the database is here." Sherry told me.

"Yep." Lazar said smugly. "No one would expect that the Public Security Bureau's call log would be hidden inside a Duel Runner simulator. I'm one of three people at the Bureau who can access it."

"Where's Joel?" Akiza asked.

I shrugged. "He's gone off to play some games, I think. Doesn't really matter."

Lazar fiddled with the controls a little, numbers and letters scrolling down on the giant screen in front of him, which the simulator seemed to be connected to. "Alright, here we go!" Lazar cheered. The numbers disappeared before the whole thing looked like it had froze up, before a Duel Puzzle popped up on the screen, along with a dialog box that said 'Win in this turn!'.

"The endgame to a Duel?" Yusei asked.

Lazar nodded. "That's right. But not just _any_ Duel, a Turbo Duel. It's used instead of a password to keep out anyone who might accidentally stumble across it." Lazar turned back to us. " _I_ was actually the one who developed this particular puzzle, so _I'll_ solve it easily."

I walked closer to the screen so I could get a better look, my left arm accidentally grazing Luna's side. Lazar had one-thousand Life Points, while the opponent had eighteen-hundred Life Points. Both players had four Speed Counters. The opponent controlled a monster called Cup Meatball Cayenne [ATK: 1600], while Lazar controlled an Attack Position Jester Lord [ATK: 0]. Additionally, Lazar had another card Set face-down, and two other cards in his hand.

We all watched as Lazar placed Speed Spell – Speed Energy, one of the cards in his hand, face-down, before activating his Set card, Raigeki Break. He discarded Jester Confit to destroy Cup Meatball Cayenne, at which point I spoke up, realizing that the Speed Counters attributed under Lazar played a part in the puzzle. "Not to be _that_ guy, but I think you missed a step." I said.

"Tyler's right." Yusei nodded. "You should have used the effect of Speed World 2 first, so you could use up those four Speed Counters."

"End your turn and start over." I said.

Sweat started appearing on Lazar's forehead as he looked back to us. "Ah, well see… I only have a limited amount of tries at the puzzle. So if I end my turn and lose, that counts as an attempt."

"And how many attempts have we got?" Yusei asked.

"Three attempts. To do two puzzles."

"Three attempts each?"

Lazar shook his head. "Three attempts _altogether_."

I turned to Yusei. "What do you think?"

"End your turn and let Jack Atlas have a crack at it." Jack piped up, and for some reason referring to himself in the third-person.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jack." Yusei said. "Last time we did something like this, you ended up doing the exact same thing Crow did _after_ he did it. We can't afford to mess this up, especially since we'll have two attempts left after this one."

"Let me try." Akiza suddenly said. Yusei turned to her and nodded, Lazar hastily ending his turn and hitting retry, getting off of the plastic Duel Runner so Akiza could get on.

"Tyler…" Luna tugged on my shirt sleeve.

I turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Could I, um… could I talk to you?"

"Now?" I asked, thinking that it might have been important that we stayed where we were.

Luna nodded. "Yes please."

"Okay…" I said quietly, Luna leading me away from the Duel Runner simulator and over to a quiet corner of the arcade.

Luna sighed. "I'm sorry if what I said before came across like I was trying to purposely hurt your feelings or anything. I wasn't."

"I know that." I assured her. "You don't have to apologize."

"It's just that… seeing you do that to yourself, I felt sick. Just the fact that you _would_ do that to yourself, it… I don't… understand why you would do that, and… Over there at the simulator, it's like you pretended there was nothing wrong, but something _has_ to be wrong if you're willing to go _that_ far and hurt yourself just to intimidate Lazar! Crow wouldn't want you to go to that length for his sake!"

"According to Jack, I don't know _what_ he'd want, so why bother doing anything!" I snapped, breathing hoarsely. "I'm sorry." I apologized for what felt like the billionth time. "Look, I just feel like sometimes everything that I do is wrong, so I feel like I should just do anything, 'cause the result will be the same anyway. Someone's gonna always be angry at me no matter what I do. I don't want to be like this, and more importantly, I don't want to be like this for _you_. I _know_ I keep saying it, and I _know_ that you're probably sick to death of me saying it, but I…" I groaned, closing my eyes. "You can call me selfish, but all I want is for all of this Yliaster crap to go away. If it wasn't for the whole thing with Jack's doppelgänger landing me in a coma, and the whole Ghost outbreak, Crow dying, and everything else which is probably connected with all of it, I think I'd be a lot better off, and you wouldn't have to keep looking over your shoulder to check if I'm still okay."

"…I didn't know you felt like that…" Luna mumbled.

I opened my eyes. "What? As in, I don't think I'm a burden to you? Because I _know_ I am. That's been obvious ever since we met."

"You're not a burden!" she insisted.

"Luna, the things you've done for me _far_ outweighs the number of things I've done for you, unless you count giving you grief, in which case, I _have_ done a lot of things for you."

" _Stop_ talking like that! _Please_!" she yelled. "I _hate_ it when you talk like that!"

"Well it's true, isn't it?" I asked softly, lowering my voice. "This year alone, I've been angry, easily irritable, and just not a pleasant person to be around, but most of all; I haven't done _anything_ to help you, while you've waited on me pretty much hand and foot, and while I do appreciate that, it's not something you should have to do. I mean, you couldn't even rely on me to take you to school. That was the _least_ I could do for you, and I had to go and screw _that_ up."

"That wasn't your fault! You were attacked, you were put in a coma, your Duel Runner was destroyed!" Luna shouted. "And what do you mean you haven't done anything?! You've done lots of good! You stopped my class from getting expelled, you rescued me from the haunted house, you showed me Sly's true colors, you protected me against Lester, and you…" Luna stopped again, my chest aching as I watched her body start to shake.

"I'm sorry." I said weakly, seemingly catching her unawares. "You're right, Luna. I _do_ need to stop. And I might have done some good before, but that's not enough-"

"It's enough for _me_!" Luna interrupted. "You don't-you don't need to do anything for me, Tyler! Just having you around i-is something that I've wanted for a very long time, but I want you to be okay…"

Something clicked inside my head, a smile being brought to my face. "I know you do…" I muttered, my eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. "I just need to be grateful for what I've got: You. I'm driving you away by doing this, and the truth is, you're all I've got. And I'm fine with that, but I don't wanna put any pressure on you. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you, and I know that what I've been doing is more than just about me, but about you too. It doesn't have to be, but you… you're always there to help me…"

"Ar-are you-" Luna and I turned back in the direction of the Duel Runner simulator, hearing lots of shouting and cheering coming from there. Without even thinking, I started walking back over. "Tyler!" Luna called out, but ended up following me anyway, as I heard her footsteps behind me.

"We did it!" Akiza shouted.

"What's up, guys?" I asked, Sherry turning to me.

"The Duel Puzzles have been completed." She said.

"Really? _That_ quickly?"

"You _obviously_ don't know how easy it is to do two Duel Puzzles." Jack remarked.

"You didn't do _anything_ , Jack…" Bruno mumbled.

Yusei turned to me. "It was easy. Akiza did one, and I did the other. I couldn't have done it without her." Yusei then looked to Lazar. "Anyway, Lazar, are you able to access the call log now?"

Lazar nodded. "Yes, if you'll let me."

Yusei got off the seat, Lazar moving over to the control pad and typing away, before a bunch of numbers and dates appeared on the screen. Lazar scrolled back the contents before the cursor hovered over one piece of information. It was amazing to me that he was able to remember the exact date. "The only call that day… was from the Momentum Express Development Organization…"

"That's a mouthful…" I muttered.

"So, then…" Sherry began. "They're connected with Yliaster…"

"Seems like it." Yusei spoke softly. "But, aside from this call entry, we really have no proof that they _are_ involved with Yliaster."

"So?" Jack asked.

"We have to go down to their headquarters and check them out for ourselves." Yusei said. "Not all of us though. It would raise too much suspicion, if they _are_ involved with Yliaster that is."

"Well I'm definitely going." Sherry piped up. "If they're involved with Yliaster, I can't let them get away with what they've done."

"Count me in too." Bruno said. "There might be a security system of some kind, and I'm pretty handy with a computer."

"Alright, anyone else?" Yusei's asked, his words the only sound in the arcade I could hear. I looked down at my shoes, and then back to Yusei.

"Can I come?"

Yusei turned to me. "Tyler?"

I sighed. "I haven't done anything to help you guys in a really long time. I need to start doing that again. And if Yliaster is the reason that Crow died, well then that's just another reason that I just feel like I have to do this."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright. We'll do it tomorrow then." Yusei spoke. "You guys don't worry about the preparation. I'll take care of it. But we should probably all call it a day and get some rest for tomorrow. Sound good?"

Bruno, Sherry and I nodded, as I started following Yusei as he began to lead the group out of the arcade, Lazar hastily turning off the simulator so that no one else would be able to access the files.

"Wait, Tyl… Tyty!" Luna called, I stopped, my heartbeat increasing as I turned back to her, everybody else moving to exit the arcade.

"What is it?" I asked, walking over to her, only realizing then that I had completely forgotten that we'd been in the middle of quite a heated argument.

"I… I want to give you something, okay?"

My eyes widened, not at all expecting Luna to give me anything, except maybe a slap across the face for being an incredible douchebag.

"Okay…" I nodded. Luna stood up on the tips of her toes to press her lips against mine. "What was that for?" I asked once she'd pulled away.

"'Cause I love you." She smiled. "But that's not what I wanted to give you." Luna slid a hand into her back pocket, pulling out a card and giving it to me. I recognized it right away.

"Explosivo…" I muttered.

Luna nodded. "I've been meaning to give him back to you, but only if you felt that it was something you wanted." She sighed. "But if you're going with Yusei and the others tomorrow, I want you to be safe, and maybe Explosivo could look after you until you get back."

I looked at the image of the card, and then back to Luna. "Luna, I-"

"I know." Luna answered. "But please, I just… I just want you to be okay. If I could be with you tomorrow and help you, I would, but I can't. Please… please take Explosivo back, at least for tomorrow. I just want to know that you'll be safe. I… I love you…"

Two confessions of love in a single conversation. I swallowed. My eyes stayed on Luna's for a while, before I sighed, taking the card from Luna and putting it into my pocket. Luna's eyes almost lit up as I spoke to her. "Alright, I'll do it for you, Luna." I said. "But… this can't continue. I can't continue, _we_ can't continue… like this…"

"Wh… what are you saying…?" Luna asked softly.

"I'm gonna go back to therapy." I told her, causing Luna to sigh with what seemed like relief. "After all this business tomorrow is over, I'm gonna call my psychiatrist and organize some more sessions. I stopped. "But…"

"But what?" Luna asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I'd like it if you came with me. It's not that I think you need it, 'cause you _definitely_ don't, but I'd just… It would help me, and… I'd feel better if you were with me…" I trailed off. Just as Luna was about to speak, I added "Y-you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Of course I will, Tyty." Luna smiled, once again leaning up and giving me a kiss on the lips and on the cheek. "If I can do anything to help you, you know I will. Of course I'll come to therapy with you."

"Thanks, Luna." I smiled, giving her a great big hug. "You're the best."

It was during my argument with Luna before that I actually had a moment of clarity in regards to my therapy. There were so many other things, like Taze, and the fact that I was hiding everything from everyone else at the time, my suicide attempt, my medication, that had impacted on not only me, but also my therapy. It didn't matter what progress I'd made, it didn't make a difference because I was constantly lying or hiding what was really going on from others. But with Taze gone and everything out in the open, I knew that now I'd be able to make things right with myself, especially if I had Luna there by my side.

I just had to get through tomorrow.


	18. Infinity

Ever since getting back from the arcade, my mind had been solely focused on the next day, our infiltration of the Momentum Express Development Organization. Yusei had gotten himself, Bruno, Sherry and I some employee uniforms from a company called Bolton & Company, quite fittingly. Apparently, they were also the company that helped Yusei and the others out with their Duel Runner engines for the Grand Prix.

The company uniform consisted of a colored jumpsuit (black in my case), a black cap with the company's initials on it, and a dark red jacket. Just wearing the company uniform wasn't enough though. I ended up buying myself red eye contacts (which I had a bit of difficulty putting in at first), and additionally shaved my head. Not completely, mind you, just enough to make my hair look a little neater.

Yusei on the other hand had gotten rid of his gold highlights and applied some makeup so as to hide his Criminal Marks. Both Sherry and Bruno seemed to put minimal effort into hiding their identities, Sherry simply having her hair tied back, and Bruno doing nothing other than wearing the Bolton & Company uniform.

It wasn't just clothing and disguises that Yusei had taken care of, he'd also taken care of transport, having rented out a delivery truck, as our reason for visiting, as far as the Momentum Express Development Organization knew, was to deliver some Duel Runner engine that needed to be fitted with Momentum and have it tested on-site.

Yusei was driving, Bruno was in the passenger seat, and Sherry and I were in the back. It wasn't just Sherry I was with though. Beside me, Explosivo had made his presence known, for the first time in a year. It came without warning, and of course I was the only one who could see him. If I had have remembered that, I might have been a little more discreet, but I didn't, and I wasn't.

"You…" I whispered, anger coming through even then. It was so incredibly strange. I had gotten the card from Luna the day before at the arcade, and back then, Explosivo gave me no indication that he even wanted anything to do with me. It was all at the behest of Luna as far as I knew. I tried talking to him, coaxing him to appear a few times since then, but he didn't, so I gave up, but physically seeing him now brought everything back for me.

"Yes?" Sherry asked, sitting opposite me in the back of the truck, and obviously thought I was talking to her.

"Hello, Tyler." My former Spirit Partner greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"I've been better." I said truthfully. "Why are you here?"

"Tyler?" Sherry asked, myself quickly focusing on her.

"Not now, Sherry." I said to her.

"You brought me with you. Of course I was going to appear to you." Explosivo said.

"You seemed pretty okay with not saying anything to me yesterday." I pointed out.

"I just wanted to give you time."

I looked down at my feet as I recalled that feeling of being watched at Luna's penthouse. I shivered, before looking back at him. "You were there, weren't you?" I said to him. "At the penthouse. That day, when Lester did all that stuff, and Luna kissed me… You… it felt like you were there…"

"I've always been there…" He continued to speak in the most calming voice possible, but all it did was aggravate me further.

"Well why didn't you show yourself?" I asked.

"You wouldn't have wanted to see me. I knew that, so I didn't reveal myself to you."

A thought popped into my head. The panic I had felt… had Luna felt it too? I didn't know, and so I had to ask "Could Luna see you?"

My partner didn't answer for a long time. I watched as his eerie yellow eyes dimmed just a little before answering. "…Yes…"

I slammed myself back against the inside of the truck. "You fucking kidding me?! I must've looked like such an idiot to her!" I shouted. "And you… you said you've always been there… so… so every time I came over to Luna's, y-you were…?"

Explosivo nodded. "There? Yes."

"Why now then?! Huh?! Why have you _now_ decided to show up?!"

"To protect you. I promised Luna."

"You mean like how you promised my dad?!" I snapped. It was a pretty cheap shot, I admit, but not one undeserved.

"Why did you accept my card from Luna if you were still angry with me?" Explosivo asked softly. Fair question.

"Because I thought it would make Luna happy. She looked so worried and I didn't want her to be. I didn't expect you to actually show up. Especially since I tried talking to you before, and you've apparently been around but not showing yourself to me! And now! Now that you've told me all this stuff, what's the-"

"She's always been worried, Tyler. _Always_." Explosivo interrupted. "Not because she thinks that you're a troubled person who's one step away from destroying himself, but because she cares about you."

"'A troubled person who's one step away from destroying himself' would be right on the money…" I snickered.

"You don't have to be that way though. The darkness in your life is gone, and _has_ been gone for a while. You just need to move on and be good to yourself."

"I _have_ been moving on…" I whispered. "Ever since the Dark Signers, ever since realizing that I'd never get my memories back, that I'd never be able to have a real life, I've been running. Running from this sadness that just seems to be everywhere! Everywhere I look, I just have this heavy, disgusting, horrible, dark feeling that's constantly reminding me. Luna's always been my source of light, my source of hope. Fighting alongside her to defeat Zeman and Devack gave me more purpose than I've ever had, and now, even though she and I are closer than we've probably ever been, and all I really need to focus on is myself, I've just gotten worse. I've gone backwards. I can't run, I can't move on, it's just always going to be there."

"So everything that you said to Luna at the arcade, about going back to therapy, about wanting to be okay, was that all just a lie then?"

"No." I said truthfully. "I have every intention of going back, but it's not gonna be easy. I'm not just gonna wake up one day and be a happy, cheerful person, but… I know that it's something I need to do, and with Luna, I can do it. At this moment though, it's just how I feel, and… I can't change how I feel…"

Explosivo took a heavy breath, myself realizing that I had just spouted a ton of personal bullshit in the presence of Yusei, Bruno and Sherry, who I'm sure had bigger things to worry about than my spat and mental instability. "I know that you think that my promises aren't worth anything, but I _can_ promise you this: you won't always feel this way."

I was about to tell Explosivo that he could never be sure, but Yusei's voice cut me off. "We're almost there now." He said. Sherry and I both moved a little closer to the front to see the Momentum Express building come into view. The whole thing was chrome, hexagonal in shape, and would've given Rex Goodwin's mansion a run for its money.

"We'll talk a little later. You need your mind to be in the here and now." Explosivo told me. And with that, his form faded away, and I put his card back into my pocket.

We arrived at the main entrance, Yusei slowly pulling to a stop, and then putting the truck into park. Once he and Bruno had got out, they shifted their seats forward so that Sherry and I could vacate the truck as well. I glanced over at Sherry and Bruno, who no doubt both thought that I was absolutely insane.

"I'll get the engine." Bruno said. Yusei nodded, and then motioned for me to come closer to him. It was obvious what he wanted to discuss.

"Listen, Tyler," he began. "About everything you said in the truck, I do want to talk about all of it with you, but right now isn't the time. I promise when we get back to Poppo Time that you and I will talk about all of this, but for now-"

"I know. We need to focus on the task at hand." I interrupted. Both Yusei and Explosivo were right. It wasn't the time for me to be moping around. I had a job to do, and if I didn't have my mind focused fully on what I was supposed to be doing, or at least pretend, there was a possibility that I would let on that I wasn't who I claimed I was. And for all intents and purposes, at least for today, my name was Toki Sensōha.

Sherry and Bruno, the latter of which was carrying the motor in his hands, walked over to us. Yusei locked the truck with the remote he had, before turning back to the three of us, straightening his hat's visor. "Alright, are you three ready to go in?"

* * *

The inside of the building looked a lot different to what I thought it would, probably because of the way the outside looked. There were so many sets of stairs, all with handrails, thankfully, and so many corridors to seemingly go down and get lost in. There were no other employees in sight, and no reception desk of any kind of which to direct our questions to. As such, Yusei, Sherry, Bruno and I just stood at the entrance, looking around in silence for a little bit, unsure really of what to do. Our job had been officially organized, apparently, but there was no one around to welcome or greet us.

"Excuse me," a voice called out. "You four wouldn't happen to be from Bolton & Company, would you?"

For a moment, my entire body tensed. Along with Yusei, Bruno and Sherry, I turned to see a well-dressed man make his way over to us.

Yusei nodded. "We are."

"Excellent." The man smiled, looking each of us over for a small amount of time. "I'm sorry. None of you seem to have name badges."

"Oh, I'm Daniel." Yusei said.

"My name's Tim." Bruno added.

"I'm Toki." I chimed in.

"Eva." Sherry finished, with what sounded like minimal enthusiasm. Then again, I couldn't really blame her. She was more wrapped up in it all than the rest of us. She probably just wanted to get everything done as quick as she could and not waste any time on formalities, especially with someone that could've been a potential enemy.

The man started walking closer to us. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Clark Smith, and I am the President of Momentum Express. If you would all just like to follow me, I can give you a brief tour of the facilities, and then we can get that engine sorted out." He smiled, his eyes briefly focusing on the engine Bruno was holding.

The four of us followed Clark onto an escalator, keeping a respectable distance from him, until suddenly the escalator stopped working and we found ourselves caught halfway up.

"What happened?" I asked.

Clark turned back to me. "It's nothing to worry about. Some of our electronic equipment occasionally experiences technical difficulties while Infinity is running." He explained, before walking up the escalator which suddenly came back to life as Clark reached the top.

"Infinity…?" Yusei muttered.

Clark had simply stopped, looking out from a window in the building. Yusei, Sherry, Bruno and I walked over to him, and Clark pointed to the object on the other side of the window. "This is Infinity."

I couldn't really comprehend what I was seeing. As far as I knew, there was no real name for it, but it did remind me of that blinding pool of light at the Original Momentum Reactor, where Yusei had Dueled Rex's brother, Roman. Of course, _that_ light was an entrance into another dimension, and I wasn't sure if this 'Infinity' was something similar or not.

"What does it do?" Yusei asked.

"Infinity is our in-house matter transporter. It's done by accelerating planetary particles to match the speed of light as close as humanly possible. In doing this, we can essentially create a wormhole to transfer matter across to another location. At the moment, it's still incomplete, but if we can get it to work how we want, it will revolutionize so many things. For example, space travel could easily become a reality, and we could find out for certain if there is life outside of our solar system."

To be honest, I didn't really understand half of what Clark said, but it sounded like it was almost exactly the same thing that the Original Momentum Reactor had below it, and what Yusei fell into.

A gateway to another world.

"Now then," Clark smiled. "Would you like to continue with the tour?"

"We would love to, Mister Smith," Bruno began, "But we really should test the engine."

"Not a problem. If you'd all just like to follow me, we can get the engine fitted and run some of the tests."

I waited for someone to speak up, but no one did, so I decided to talk. "That would be great. Thank you."

Clark nodded, turning to walk down a long hallway. We all followed him down another set of stairs and into a room where we could see dozens of clear tubes stretch on for as far as I could see.

"Now then, will you need any assistance fitting the engine to the Duel Runner?" Clark asked.

"No." Yusei said simply. "I think we can handle that. I'll also be the one riding the Duel Runner during the tests."

Once again, Clark smiled. "Very well. It seems like you all know what you need to do, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. There's a phone by the wall and my extension is on the board." With that, Clark left us to our own devices.

* * *

"Uh…" I let out a sigh, staring up at the Burger King Menu board in the company food court. "Yeah, can I get… um… a large… Double Whopper with Cheese meal, please? And add bacon to the burger. Ooh! And can I also get a large onion rings and twenty chicken nuggets. Oh, and Diet Coke for the drink as well, please."

"…Anything else?" the counter clerk stared at me in bewilderment.

"Nope. That's it." I smiled, sliding the appropriate amount of money across the counter and walking over to the side, out of the line and waiting to be called back when my order was ready. Once it was, I collected it on a tray and walked over to the seating area, where Yusei, Sherry and Bruno had claimed a spot right at the back, probably so we could all talk in private.

As I approached, Sherry and Bruno both shot me awkward glances, which I couldn't tell if that was due to the large amount of food I had, or because of my prior conversation with Explosivo, of whom they both couldn't see. Actually, it was probably both. Nevertheless, Sherry moved to one side of the booth, allowing me to get in and sit down.

" _Oh mon Dieu_ …" Sherry whispered, her eyes keeping to my tray.

"You're not seriously going to eat all of that, are you?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah… why would I buy it if I wasn't going to eat it?" I said, removing the wrapping from my burger and taking it apart to put some onion rings in. "Anyway… it sucks that we didn't find anything, hey?"

I twitched as Explosivo appeared beside me. "Pardon me for saying, but that _is_ quite a lot of food." He said. I paid him little mind and just started eating, basically gorging myself on the burger. I heard Explosivo sigh, and his form faded away once more.

"It's strange…" Sherry muttered. "If this is the company that contacted Lazar, then there _has_ to be something about Yliaster in their system."

I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin and took a sip of my drink. "Maybe Lazar was wrong. I mean, maybe that whole call log thing was fake, and he's just palming us off to get us to waste our time." I suggested, putting the thought out there before shoveling some nuggets into my mouth.

Yusei shook his head. "Akiza and the others are keeping an eye on him at Poppo Time."

"Either way, we don't have much time. After lunch, we have to do more tests, and after that, we're scheduled to leave, so this is really our last chance to find the information we're after." Sherry said.

"The only thing I didn't get a chance to look at was Infinity. There's a ton of documents and files on it, but they're all encrypted." Bruno told us.

"There's something else." Yusei started. "When we were looking at Infinity before with Clark, I saw a door that was locked, and it looked like you needed a special security clearance to get in there. I haven't seen any other doors here with that kind of security."

"So, what are you thinking?" I asked.

"Behind that door… Everything that we're after is behind that door…" Yusei said quietly.

"We couldn't get in even if we wanted to." Bruno pointed out. "We don't have any I.D. cards or anything that would allow us to get inside."

"That's true, but I know where we could get one." Yusei smiled. "Would you know what President Smith's schedule is?"

"I think he's having lunch with some staff right now." Bruno said.

"So then…" Sherry mumbled. "That would mean that his office would be empty…"

"Okay…?" I whispered, Sherry, Bruno and Yusei getting to their feet.

"Let's go!" Yusei said, Sherry moving past me. I groaned as the three of them started walking briskly out of the lunch area. I didn't want to leave my meal behind, but eventually I relented, quickly stuffing down what I could and leaving the rest there, breaking into a run to catch up with the others.

It was a little bit of a struggle for me to match my pace with the others, as I seemed to be the only one out of the four of us who actually ate anything. Though it wasn't like they were too far ahead of me. I came up behind them as we all hid behind a corridor wall, Yusei peeking out to check if the coast was clear. When it was, he signaled for us to make our way forward, which we did.

Bruno was the one to find Clark's room at the end of the hall. It was the only door to have a person's name, Clark's, on it. I was honestly a little surprised to find the door unlocked, especially since this dude was supposed to be the President of a company, but that didn't stop Yusei, Sherry or Bruno from barging in.

I sighed, following them in as Bruno started looking through one of the filing cabinets, and Sherry looked through Clark's drawers at his desk. Yusei fiddled with a remote for a projector, which turned on to show four different screens of the premises, but before I could even begin to help look, Sherry had already found Clark's I.D. card.

"It's here, everyone." She said, closing the drawers at Clark's desk quickly.

"I don't want to alarm anyone," I started, doing just that. "But I think Clark's coming back." I pointed to the projector screen, which showed Clark walking down the hallway where we had just walked down from.

"Quickly!" Yusei shouted. "You three get into the air vent. I'll stall Clark." He instructed. Sherry and Bruno nodded, rushing over to the air vent and prying it open. I, however, was a little bit hesitant.

"Yusei, what are you gonna do?" I asked.

"I'm going to Duel him."

"Are you serious?!" I shouted.

"It's the only way to stall him, Tyler." He told me. "Go on, hurry!"

I sighed, reaching into my pocket and fetching Explosivo's card. "Alright. Feel free to use this if you want." I said, handing Explosivo to Yusei. Explosivo appeared once more by my side, but I cut him off before he could speak. "I'm not giving you away again. This is just to help Yusei." I told him.

Explosivo nodded, and I turned and ran for the air vent. Thankfully, Sherry had waited for me and helped me up into the vent. I was actually honestly surprised by her strength. Not that I thought she was weak because she was a woman, but just because she didn't look like she was physically strong. Though then again, I hadn't really gotten a good look at her body or anything, but not anything as in, like, I'd _want_ to look at her body or anything, just… I was surprised. That's all.

"You good?" Sherry asked me.

"Yeah… thanks…" I breathed.

Sherry nodded. "Okay, let's get going. Bruno's already a little way ahead."

With that, the two of us started crawling through the vent. It was one of the few times in which I wish I hadn't broken my phone, as I could have used it as a flashlight to see where we were going instead of just crawling forward aimlessly. The only thing in my immediate view was Sherry's backside, so I really just had her to rely on until we got to an opening.

Eventually, she stopped moving, forcing me to do the same. "There's an opening here." She said. Sherry looked down through the opening, before crawling just a little ahead of it, allowing her legs to slip through as she made her way out. My heart started racing as I didn't know how far off the ground the vent was, but I eventually did just as Sherry had done, although thanks to my poor judgment, I ended up landing on my stomach rather than on my feet, which wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't have eaten beforehand.

"Shit…" I groaned. Sherry helped me up, the two of us quickly rejoined by Bruno, who pointed out that we'd made it back to the entrance. The three of us ran back up the escalator, making a sharp right over to the locked door. Sherry swiped the I.D. card into a scanner on the wall, and the door opened.

It was quite a small room. Not at all what I thought it would be. It just had a bunch of computer terminals in it with a mess of cables running along the ground. Sherry rushed to one of the terminals and put a USB drive into it and started typing away. Bruno on the other hand seemed unable to keep his eyes off the windowpane, which gave us another look at Infinity.

"What is it, Bruno?" I asked.

"That light…" he whispered. "There's something about it that I can't explain…"

"What do you mean?"

"…It's like… I've seen it before… it feels familiar…"

"I found the file!" Sherry said suddenly.

"That was quick." I noted, Bruno and I walking over to her.

"The password to the directory was his I.D. number. I just need to copy it all to my thumb drive." She explained.

"How long will that take?"

"Five minutes. Maybe ten." Sherry said. So the three of us waited, eyes glued to the computer screen as I mentally urged for the thing to go faster, which it didn't. When it got to about ninety percent, an alarm went off, with a light coming on just above our heads which cloaked the whole room in a deep red. " _Merde_!" Sherry shouted, slamming one of her hands onto the terminal. We had to wait a little longer for the copy process to finish, but once it had, Sherry took out the drive and we bolted out of the room.

The alarm sound was blaring throughout the entire building, but thankfully there were no other flashing lights. We made our way down to the entrance to find that the doors were locked. My heart became stuck in my throat. We were trapped inside.

"We have to find another way out." Sherry spoke quickly. "Follow me."

I wasn't sure that Sherry had any idea where she was going, but it was better than standing out in the open and waiting for somebody to catch us. Besides, even though we had all the files on Infinity (and probably Yliaster by extension), we still had to find Yusei and make it out of the building together.

We kept running for what seemed like forever, moving swiftly through the halls until we caught sight of Yusei running towards us from the other end of a long stretch of hallway. We stopped.

"Yusei…!" Sherry breathed. "It's all here! The files on Yliaster!"

Yusei nodded, taking the thumb drive from Sherry.

"Hey! Get back here!" a voice shouted. I didn't have to turn around to know that it was probably a security guard or another employee who was after us.

"This way!" Yusei shouted, taking the lead as Sherry, Bruno and I followed him. I shouldn't have eaten as much as I did, 'cause by this point, I was _really_ starting to regret it. Eventually, I discarded my hat and jacket on the floor as we ran, myself figuring that they were slowing me down unnecessarily.

It was another few minutes of running until we made it to a huge room which had a bunch of shuttles in it. "Quickly! Let's hide in the shuttle over there!" Sherry pointed to the shuttle closest to us, which conveniently was open.

"I-Is that really a good idea…?" I asked, a little breathless. I turned back to see that there were now four security guards trailing behind us. "No, you're right. Let's go!" I said quickly, the three of us making it up the walkway and into the shuttle. Yusei sealed the door behind us and I collapsed onto my knees, utterly exhausted. "What… What do we do now…?"

"We wait." Yusei said. "Hopefully, none of the security staff will find us here. When the coast is clear and the alarm has stopped, we'll make our way out of here."

I fell from my knees to the floor as the shuttle started shaking and then began moving, the floor vibrating a little. Yusei tried unlocking the door, but found that it wouldn't open. " _Enculer_!" Sherry yelled.

"This whole thing was a trap. They wanted us in here." Yusei exclaimed as he started trying to pry the door open. Sherry and Bruno started pounding frantically on the glass in an attempt to break it.

I was able to get to my feet once the shuttle had stopped moving. I figured that either Yusei, Sherry or Bruno had done something to stop the shuttle from moving, but they seemed just as surprised as me. My eyes widened as I saw the shuttle was positioned between two beacons either end of where we were. Electricity started to spark as I saw the floor below the shuttle start to disappear, the light of Infinity breaking through.

Sherry ran over to one of the control panels and started tapping away on the screen. "What's going on?!" I asked.

"According to the screen, this shuttle's about to go into a wormhole!" she told us.

"What?!" I shouted, along with Yusei and Bruno.

"That is correct." A voice sounded, President Clark Smith's face showing up on Sherry's screen. "You all fell right into my trap."

"Then you… you know who we are?!" Sherry asked.

"Of course. I always knew. You're Sherry LeBlanc, Tyler Nochi, and Yusei Fudo." Clark said carelessly, his eyes shifting from each of us as he spoke. "But you…" Clark focused on Bruno for a brief moment. "I have no information on you at all… Oh well. You're not important."

"Why are you doing this?!" Bruno yelled.

"I think you all know why." Clark smirked.

"Then you _do_ work with Yliaster, don't you?! You know who killed my parents!" Sherry accused.

Clark's smile grew wider. "I believe _that's_ already obvious. We can't have you meddling in our affairs any longer, and I can eliminate all of you in one easy move like this. The shuttle you're in doesn't have a control card, so I'm afraid this will be the last I'll see of you. Thank you for your interest in Momentum Express." He chided. "Farewell."

Clark's face disappeared from the screen, and fear flooded my body. I knew I wasn't going to make it out alive. A blinding flash of light came at us from every direction, and when it faded, the rainbow color of Infinity was no more. Instead, we were surrounded by waves of orange and gold which caressed the shuttle.

"Where are we now?" Yusei asked.

"A wormhole." Sherry stated, all emotion gone from her voice.

"I'm gonna die here…" I whispered, tears starting to well up in my eyes. " _Luna_! _I'm_ _sorry_!" I cried as loud as I could. I knew she wouldn't be able to hear me, but there was a part of me that hoped somehow, some way, that she could and did.

The shuttle started shaking again as Yusei and Bruno made their way closer to Sherry's screen. As for me, I just collapsed in a heap, sobbing quietly to myself. A prerecorded message came over the speaker, basically telling us what we already knew, that the shuttle was out of control and we were fucked. There was something else about a control card, but as far as I knew, we didn't have one.

Something must have happened to some of the glass around the shuttle, because I quickly found myself being taken from the shuttle floor and getting lifted into the air against my will, the vacuum of the wormhole pulling me out into the unknown.

"Tyler!" Yusei shouted, myself watching helplessly as I slipped away from him, one of his hands outstretched in a desperate attempt to get me back. My hand grazed his, and I knew that it would be the last time I saw him.

"Tell Luna I love her!" I shouted, unable to stop myself from drifting further and further away from the shuttle as the force of the vacuum seemed to intensify. Eventually, the shuttle had left my sight entirely.

And then everything just stopped.

There was no more force pulling against me anymore. I was just drifting about aimlessly, alone in some weird wormhole or dimension, and for all I knew then, I was going to die there. My body started to feel heavy, and a thought came to me.

Only it wasn't really a thought. It was a memory.

Joel's dad – my stepdad. I could remember the horrid stench of alcohol on his breath as he spoke to me one night. It was like any other night with him, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least, that's what my brain was telling me. Not that it left me any less scared or angry.

_"And if you fucking tell anyone about this shit, your mom's gonna get it…"_

And then Joel… watching from just outside my room… not even caring… even though I begged him for his help…

_"J-Joel! Help me! Please!"_

_"Just stay quiet and take it. You don't want your mom to get hurt, do you?"_

My first trip to the Spirit World, and Explosivo revealing himself to me…

_"Don't be frightened, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."_

_"Wh-who are you?"_

_"My name is Explosivo… and I'm here to protect you…"_

My escape from New Domino City into the Satellite.

_"The only way out… is to run away…"  
_  
Meeting Yusei…

_"I haven't seen you around here before, what's your name?"_

_"T-Tyler Nochi…"_

_"Nice to meet you, Tyler. My name's Yusei Fudo. It's not safe to be out here all on your own. If you'd like, you can come with me. I know a place you can stay…"_

_"O-okay… Thanks…"_

My time in Team Satisfaction…

_"Tyler, I've tuned up the prototype Duel Runner I was holding onto for you."_

_"Thanks, Yusei."_

_"Tyler, you take your Duel Runner and go on ahead to the Old Highway! Kalin's waiting for you!"_

_"Right!"_

Ancient Fairy Dragon's request…

_"Please go and do whatever you can to aid her. And together… protect this world from the evil that threatens to destroy it…!"_

Sayer…

_"Stop trying to resist! It's useless! Besides, you should be proud! You will be the first recipient of my powerful brainwashing technique! Now come… Follow…"_

Suddenly, it wasn't just fragments I was slowly beginning to recall. I started to remember more and more. Thoughts and feelings I had long since forgotten were now almost being thrust upon me. Within only a few moments, my whole life had all come back to me. I screamed, my entire body feeling as though it were moments away from tearing itself apart. Every muscle in my body tightened, a burning sensation in my chest, my head throbbing uncontrollably.

The pain trickled away, and I closed my eyes, waiting, hoping, for the sweet release of death.

* * *

I awoke alone on an endless, barren plain. Sitting up, I quickly ran my hands along various parts of my body, my breaths quick and shallow. I looked around, a sudden realization coming over me:

I no longer had amnesia.

That said, I was more frightened than relieved to have my memories back. I wanted to know why I suddenly had them, and who gave them back to me. I knew I couldn't have just bumped my head and gotten them back. There had to have been some higher power, something greater than me that gave them to me. I found it highly unlikely that it would have just happened so suddenly, especially in the thick of everything that was going on.

I shuddered at the sound of footsteps, quickly looking around, but otherwise not moving from my seated position, even as the figure approached, a warm gentle smile on his face.

I was speechless. He was here, and so was I.

"Taze…?" I muttered.

The figure smiled at me, before shaking his head. "I chose this form as it was someone close to you."

"Then…" I trailed. "Who are you?"

"I have many names. God. Kami. Hakaishin. Zone. Whichever you feel comfortable calling me will be just fine."

"And you… You gave my memories back to me… didn't you…?"

"I did." He nodded.

"Wh… why?" I asked, wondering why an apparent God would be willing to help me.

"A cataclysmic event will wipe out all life on Earth. I need your help in preventing it."

"But I'm…" I mumbled, my recovered memories fresh in my mind. "I'm no one special."

The Taze-like figure got down on one knee, reaching out and gently cupping my head in his left hand. "You and I both know that's not true. Those memories you have, they're painful, but they're _yours_. That pain that you've experienced is something that few people in this world are able to understand, and although you might not want to, I must ask that you draw from it. Let it fuel you. You have a chance to get revenge on those who wronged you, to live the life you've always wanted."

I didn't know it until he'd said it, but I wanted that now more than anything else in the world.

"I… I want that… Please, I… Wh-what can I do?" I asked.

He reached out a hand to mine. "Come with me…"

Without even a moment's hesitation, I took it.


	19. Black Eyes, Blue Tears

I looked out at the world in front of me. The streets, the buildings, everything seemed familiar. But it was barren and broken. Zone and I were the only two people around, as far as I could see. I looked over at the rotten bridge, which reminded me so much of the unfinished Daedalus Bridge that I could have sworn they were the same. I could feel Zone's eyes peering into my soul as I looked around.

I'd decided on calling Zone _Zone_ and not Hakaishin, God or Kami, because that made me feel _slightly_ less inferior when talking to him.

"What is this place?" I asked softly. "It looks sort of like-"

"The Satellite? It is." Zone said calmly. "This… is the future the world is heading towards."

"How the Hell did the Satellite Sector end up like this?"

"Momentum…" Zone simply said. "All of mankind will cease to exist because of it. You see, it's not known to very many people, but Momentum has the ability to accelerate humanity's evolution. Not only that, but Synchro Monsters have the power to manipulate Momentum. In the future, humans will misuse Synchro Monsters to try and force Momentum to accelerate evolution, and Momentum will quickly grow out of control. Meklord Emperors will be created to counteract the imbalance created by the humans, but will end up killing them."

"E-every human?" I asked. Zone nodded. I closed my eyes, swallowing audibly. "Well, um, pardon me for suggesting, but, uh… if you know what's going to happen in the future, can't you stop it?"

"I've tried." He said. "But so far, my attempts to change history haven't been met with any success."

"If that's the case, why do you think _I'll_ be of any use to you?"

"Because I know you believe what I've told you. You understand the folly of humanity, and the anguish that emotions can create. It is the sins of lust and greed that will cause Momentum to malfunction, and it was pride that prevented your stepbrother Joel from ever telling you the truth about your life before and what his father did to you."

"What prevented Taze from telling me?" I asked suddenly. "I know he knew as well, but in the six months I spent with him, he never once mentioned it."

"He knew that if he had have told you everything that happened, that you might not have believed him, and if you did, you could have done something drastic." He explained, seeming to not even have to think to come up with an answer. I started tittering to myself, because it was too late now to react in any other way than with hatred. "With sins and negative emotion, the world will be destroyed, but together, I believe that you and I will be able to prevent this."

"I'll do whatever you want." I told him. "As long as Joel dies and I get to be the one to kill him. I want to slit his throat and drink his blood. I want to watch his eyes widen in fear as the life drips from his body. I want him to feel all the pain and anguish I felt all those years ago." I clenched my fists. "That's all I care about. I want him dead!"

"If that's what you desire, then I will make sure that your brother dies by your hand. However…" Zone turned to me. "In order to kill your brother… you'll need to fight against the Signers…"

I stood there for a while, in shock, my eyes drifting from Zone's and moving across the floor. I had no idea what to say. My body started to shake, thinking of Luna. "The… the Signers…?" I whispered.

"Yes. I'm not going to lie to you, Tyler. There is one plan that we have not yet tried. I was hoping to avoid it, but there is no other way. I am going to destroy New Domino City."

My mouth dropped open. "Wh-what…?"

"New Domino City is the birthplace of Momentum, and as such, is the cause of our ruined future. The only way to prevent this future from occurring is by wiping out the Positive Momentum at the heart of the city. Unfortunately, to do this, the entire city must not only be destroyed, but also be hit with a force of Negative Momentum to cancel out the effects of the Positive Momentum. This place, once the Satellite, is now the home of Negative Momentum, and will be made to collide with the city, in due time. The Signers, eventually, will come here and attempt to stop that from happening."

A feeling of nausea swept through me. I couldn't believe what Zone had told me, what he wanted me to do. Killing Joel was one thing – he deserved to die – but I couldn't fight against Yusei or Akiza, or _Luna_. I just couldn't!

I started shaking, muscles tensing in my body, before I doubled over, vomiting onto the ground in front of me. Zone walked over, putting a hand on my shoulder as I continued to gasp and heave, my eyes watering as I did. "It's a lot of information to process, I know." He told me. "I apologize for not being more tactful with my words. We'll get you cleaned up, and I'll show you to your room, let you get some rest. We can talk about this more when you've settled in."

As Zone led me away, I thought back to my time in the Arcadia Movement, where I'd had my first run-in with Yusei since becoming brainwashed. I remembered for a split second how my memories had broken through, but straight after, I turned into a wreck, and Liquid took me back to the headquarters. I wasn't sure if I could trust Zone, but I wasn't really seeing sense, to be honest. With all of my older memories now having taken precedence over my newer ones, so everything from the past year, it was incredibly difficult for me to keep track of everything, especially on top of what Zone had told me.

I couldn't make any decision. I wasn't in the right mindset, and I felt like I hadn't slept in so long. I just allowed Zone to lead me where he wanted, hoping I'd be able to get some sleep, and maybe come at everything with a clear head.

* * *

I stood outside Leo and Luna's penthouse, having been called there in the dead of night by Luna, who'd apparently been having trouble sleeping and had asked that I come around to be with her. I wasn't sure if Leo was awake or not, so I knocked on the door as quietly as I could. Almost immediately, the door opened and Luna rushed into my arms. "Thank you for coming…" she whispered, leaning on my chest.

I looked down at her, putting a hand behind her back. "No problem." I smiled. As Luna looked to me, I could see dark circles beginning to develop under her eyes, and her hair, which was no longer styled in two pigtails, was messy and untidy. It was as if she'd been tossing and turning in bed, trying to get to sleep for several hours.

"Is Leo awake?" I whispered.

Luna shook her head. "No, he's asleep. I… I'm sorry for asking you to come here, I know you're probably tired and-"

"Hey, it's okay…" I cooed. "I'm happy to help. After all, you won't be able to concentrate properly at school if you don't get some sleep."

Luna nodded, almost feverishly. "Okay, well could you… Could you come into my room with me?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, of course." I smiled. Luna reached out and took my hand as she led me up the steps and into her bedroom. Her footsteps were slow and encumbered, but I followed behind her, ready to catch her if she fell, since she looked like she might. Luna's bedroom was basically the same as it was when I saw it last, but a nightlight was turned on and propped up in place of her CD stand. Her bed was also pretty bare, the sheets thrown to the bottom of the bed. "How about, before we do anything, we sort these sheets out? Why don't you lie down, and I'll tuck you in and everything. You can't sleep like this, certainly."

"O-okay…"

Luna walked over and got onto her bed, looking up at me. I smiled, turning to get the sheets as I pulled them back up and over her, one after the other, finishing with the duvét. "Is that good? Are you comfy?"

"Very comfy, thank you." Luna smiled, shifting underneath the covers to one side of the bed. She looked towards me, patting a spot on her bed as she motioned for me to sit down.

I sat down on the bed, my face turned to hers as we kept our eyes on each other. "So, um… When did you first try to go to bed?" I asked.

"Well, I did actually get to sleep earlier tonight, but I had a nightmare and I haven't been able to get back to sleep since." Luna explained. "It was that… that Duel in front of the Control Unit against Devack… It was happening again, but…" Luna stopped, turning away from me. She was shaking, and I wasn't sure on what I should've done, so I just stayed silent. Luna exhaled. "He'd kill you, and Leo, and I'd be powerless to do anything. He'd just laugh… and look at me with those black eyes of his… and I'd be frozen… and now, when I close my eyes, I see him laughing at me, and I'm… I'm so afraid…"

I groaned in displeasure at hearing about Luna's nightmare, and I put a hand on her side. "It's okay…" I said softly. I smiled as I looked towards her. "You know, you're much stronger than I am, Luna." I admitted.

Luna nearly gasped. "No I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You might not think so, but… I never would've been able to fight against Devack if I was your age and if I was in your shoes. The fact that you were willing to fight shows how strong you are. And it's perfectly alright for you to be afraid or a little distraught over what happened. It would be weird if you weren't. I mean, I didn't have to go through what you guys did, and that's probably why I haven't been thinking about it. But you don't need to worry about Devack anymore, he's gone now. And remember: You beat him. You did that awesome combo where it didn't matter what he did, he'd lose. If anything, _you_ shouldn't be scared of _Devack_ , _he_ should be scared of _you_!" I smiled.

"You think?" Luna asked.

" _Definitely_." I nodded. "So the next time you see Devack in your dreams, and he laughs at you, you laugh right back at him. Because you won!"

" _We_ won…" Luna muttered, reaching a hand out from under the covers and slipping it in mine. "I couldn't have done it without you…"

"I was happy to help…"

I watched as Luna's eyelids drooped a little. "Thanks, Tyler…" she mumbled.

"You're welcome, sweetie…" I whispered. Luna's hand fell from mine as her eyes closed. I moved gently, kissing her on the forehead and putting her hand back under the covers as I slowly got up. I turned back to Luna, a serene expression across her face. I smiled, walking over to her bedroom door, leaving as quietly as I could.

I made my way down the steps, holding onto the handrail until I reached the bottom. I was just about to settle down on the living room couch to get some sleep myself when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps along with heaving breath. I moved my head to the side, mouth slightly open as I tried to recall where I'd heard the sound from.

My stepdad.

Nostrils flaring, I jumped to my feet, seeing him slowly make his way up the steps to Luna's bedroom. Before any common sense took hold of me, I charged at him, but found myself quickly held back by Joel, who had his arms pushing back against my chest, physically preventing me from moving.

" _Shhhh_ …" he eased. " _Just let him do what needs to be done_ …" Joel whispered as I struggled against him in vain.

" _You're fucking sick_!" I shouted. My movements became more and more frantic, but Joel didn't let up at all, keeping a firm grip on me as I watched his dad reach the top of the stairs and slowly open the door to Luna's bedroom. Joel reached his right arm up, cupping his hand around my mouth to prevent me from making any more noise as I continued thrashing about, stopping only once the sound of a bloodcurdling scream belonging to Luna filled my ears.

* * *

I awoke to find that I had almost drowned in a pool of my own vomit, a terrible taste in my mouth, my entire body soaked in sweat and caked in dry tears. I groaned heavily, more tears starting to form as I pushed myself off of the now-stained mattress and got to my feet.

It was a dream, but it wasn't _just_ a dream. The Joel in that dream… _That_ was the real Joel, _not_ the one I'd spent time with over the last few months. He was an entirely different person. He didn't care about me at all. But then again, maybe he never did. It could have been an act since the very beginning for all I knew. I mean, it had to be.

And Luna… Oh _God_ , _Luna_ …

I quickly found myself beginning to shake again, the scream repeating in my mind for what felt like an eternity. I started crying and I hated it. Even though it didn't really happen, even though it was just a dream, I wanted to kill Joel and his dad for what they did. I wanted to apologize to Luna and beg her for forgiveness, hold her tight and never let her go. For the first time, I was on the outside listening in as somebody else – the person I loved – got abused.

Got raped.

My heart could have been in my throat for all I knew. It was truly an unreal feeling. I wasn't in any physical pain, but I felt like I had just lost everything I had ever cared about.

I stumbled out of my room, sliding my feet across the floor in an almost stupor-like manner. The hallway was barren, endless, but I didn't need to go too far. I knew if I called, he'd come to me. "Zone?" I asked.

And out of the shadows, he appeared. "Yes, Tyler?"

"I'll do it. I'll help you destroy New Domino City." I told him.

A smile slowly formed on Zone's face as he ran his fingers along his arms. "That's fantastic. Truly great to hear, really. Though it might not seem like it, you're making the right choice."

"I have another request though, aside from me killing Joel."

"Yes?"

"There are two Signers, Leo and Luna. They're brother and sister. I don't want _any_ harm coming to either of them. I know you said that they… they're technically our enemies, but I just… I could never forgive myself if something happened to them. Please, I just want them to be safe."

Zone drew a heavy breath. "While I can promise your brother's death, I cannot promise the safety of the Signers – any of them. Their futures, unlike yours or your brother's, cannot be determined. Their destinies, their lives, are linked to the Crimson Dragon. Leo and Luna will board the Ark Cradle, but I cannot say whether or not they will survive. However-"

Zone stopped suddenly, his eyes moving from mine as he turned back to face the darkness. "What is it…?" I asked softly.

Zone turned to me. "Another has arrived."

"A-another?"

Zone nodded. "Would you like to come with me to meet them?"

"O-okay…"

* * *

"Sh-Sherry?!" I shouted, almost immediately upon seeing her. She was lying back on the tile floor, and was no doubt in similar shape to how I had been when Zone found me.

I wanted to be careful. Sherry had seemingly lost both her hat and jacket before her arrival, and her shirt was torn, revealing her ample bosom. I didn't want to touch her inappropriately. I breathed heavily, shaking her shoulder lightly with my left arm.

I stopped suddenly, Sherry's eyelids flickering open.

" _Père_ …" she mumbled, looking over at Zone. " _C'est bien toi_? _Suis-je mort_?"

My eyes widened and I turned to Zone standing behind me, who Sherry keenly kept her eyes on. Zone shook his head, his voice low as he spoke to Sherry. "No Sherry. Your heart showed me that this form, that of your father, would be pleasing to you, so I chose it. As for your mortality, you're still alive."

Sherry sighed, her eyes catching mine for the first time. "T-Tyler…"

"Are you alright?" I asked her. "How are you feeling?"

"I… we…" she stammered, obviously confused by my presence. "Yusei and…" she trailed off, her eyes closing.

"H-hey, Sherry!" I shouted, the blonde slipping into unconsciousness.

"She's tired." Zone told me. Zone then knelt down and pulled Sherry up with ease, draping her unconscious body over his shoulder. "I will explain everything to her when she wakes up. You do not need to worry."

I looked at Sherry's face, her placid expression, and then I looked at Zone. "Zone, why is it that Sherry sees you as her father, when I see you as Taze?" I asked.

"The form I have taken," Zone began. "Is the one closest to your hearts. Both of you see me as an entirely different individual, and so my form reflects whatever your heart desires to see the most. What _person_ you desire to see the most." He corrected.

I didn't really understand that, to be honest. After all, the person that I wanted to see the most was Luna. But it wouldn't have really been her anyway, just Zone pretending to be her, and that wouldn't have helped me at all in the end. So I guess it didn't really matter anyway. Zone's appearance didn't impact on anything important, and there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Okay, that's fine…" I muttered. "You were going to say something before, when I talked to you about the twins, the Signers. Before Sherry showed up."

Zone nodded. "I was, but that doesn't matter anymore. Their safety is outside of my control, outside of yours. Only the Crimson Dragon will be able to guarantee their safety. I am surprised though, that you're perfectly willing to destroy New Domino City, but you want to protect the Signers."

"Are you saying that I can't do both?" I asked. Zone turned away, but didn't reply for some time. Instead, I once again got a look at the unmistakable calm on Sherry's face, until finally Zone turned back to me.

"…Do you think they'd _let_ you do both? New Domino City is their home, and you're going to destroy it… They're not going to react positively to that, even if _their_ lives are saved. The relationships that you've had with the Signers, they can't be maintained… and they shouldn't…"

I thought back to what Taze had said at the Gala, the time since then having felt like forever. Having Zone in front of me all but mimicking Taze's appearance sent shivers down my spine. It was all so similar. He'd gotten onto me before about how they were supposed to be my friends, how if they saw the real me, they'd turn and run. And maybe he wasn't being vindictive saying that.

Maybe he was right.

"So… what then…?" I asked softly.

"If you want to kill your brother, you'll have to relinquish all ties to the person you were. That person you were during your amnesia. None of it matters, because you weren't really you. Do you understand? All those feelings you thought you felt for all those people, they weren't real. And pretending they were will just lead you further down the path of despair now. The real you was cast aside, but you've got him back, and you now have the chance to right the wrongs of the past. That's what I'm doing, and you can do that too…"

"Okay…" I mumbled. My eyes weren't on Zone's as I spoke, but that quickly changed. "If that's what I have to do to make sure that Joel dies, then so be it…"

* * *

I jumped once I heard a knock at the door to my room. Having been alone with my thoughts for the last few hours and still struggling to adjust to my new accommodation, I got up, walking over to the door and opening it.

Sherry.

It was the first time I'd seen her fully awake since I'd been forcefully ejected from the shuttle. The look on her face didn't seem to be one of malice. It was more confusion than anything. Truth be told, I was curious as to how she ended up in the same place I did.

"Zone told me what's going on. Is it okay if I come in? I want to talk to you." Sherry imparted softly.

"Yeah, it's fine."

" _Merci_ …" Sherry bowed, making her way into my room, closing the door behind her. "Our rooms are the same…" she noted.

"Okay." I said, just as an acknowledgement of her statement. "I actually wanted to ask you a few things as well."

"Alright. I'll let you say what's on your mind first."

"Well… how did you get here?"

Sherry closed her eyes and grimaced. "The same way you did. By getting pulled out the shuttle. After you were sucked out of the shuttle, Bruno was able to find the switch to bring down the shutters to cover the window up. I wasn't able to hold my grip, however, and slipped out just as the shutters were coming down."

"Do you know if Yusei and Bruno made it back?"

Sherry nodded. "I do. Zone showed me. They made it back to New Domino City safely."

"Wait a minute. Zone showed you New Domino City?"

"Yes. Why? Has he not shown you?"

"I-I saw the future…" I mumbled.

"Yes, I saw that too."

"Oh…" I said dejectedly. It sounded strange, but it seemed like Sherry and I were almost indirectly competing with each other, like two siblings competing for one parent's affection.

"Zone told me, um… _désolé_ , I don't really know how to phrase this… how you had amnesia, and um… I… I mean, I'm working with Zone to bring my parents back to life, but you…" she mumbled. "I just don't understand why you'd be going against Yusei and the others, when you have a history with them."

"It's nothing to do with them." I said sharply. "Joel's the one I'm fighting against."

"Why…?"

"…It's a long story…" I muttered.

Sherry sighed. "Alright, alright. I won't pry. It's your business. I apologize. I should have just let things be." Sherry got up to leave, and a crushing feeling of emptiness and loneliness started coming over me.

"I was abused physically by my stepdad, Joel's father, when I was younger." I suddenly said. Sherry stopped, turning back to me as I continued. "He'd come home late every night, drunk off his face, and… well, hit me. He said to me that if I told Sector Security, he'd do something worse to my mom. So I kept quiet to protect my mom… but also…" I found my voice growing fainter as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. "But also because Joel told me to. Joel said that it would just be best if I didn't do anything and just take what I was dealt. He didn't want his dad going to prison. So I kept quiet, saying that any visible injuries were ones that I caused."

"…And then what?" Sherry asked softly, her tone of voice telling me that she wanted me to continue talking, but she didn't want to press me on it if I felt uncomfortable. I'd already started telling her though, so I felt there wasn't any point in stopping.

"I ran away." I said. "I couldn't take it anymore, but I didn't want to get my mom hurt, so I left. It was something that I had told Taze about several times, something that I had threatened to do, but never really went through with."

"Who's Taze?"

"Sorry." I whined. "Taze was my friend, my only friend. Anyway, one day I just decided that enough was enough, so I left New Domino on a really dingy scooter and headed through the pipeline to the Satellite. That's where I met Yusei, Crow, Jack and Kalin."

"So why do you want Joel dead?"

"Because he _deserves_ it!" I snapped, before realizing I had done so. "I-I'm sorry…" I mumbled. "Joel was a cunt to me growing up. He'd make fun of me for hanging out with Taze, who was the only person who really understood me. He'd verbally abuse me almost any opportunity he got, and was basically the straw that broke the camel's back."

"'Camel's back'?" Sherry asked, clearly confused.

"It's an expression, like 'the last straw'. He didn't care if I got abused, as long as his dad never got into any trouble. He wanted to live his life in a bubble, and me getting hit by his dad was just something that had to happen."

It happened without warning, I couldn't stop it. I burst into tears, quickly moving away to hide my face from Sherry's, my body quivering. Suddenly, I felt Sherry move towards me, wrapping her arms around my back, herself gently pressing my head against her shoulder. She didn't say anything, and neither did I. The two of us just sat there, Sherry embracing me as I bawled my eyes out.

* * *

My consciousness stirred, eyes opening slowly. I could feel the warmth of the duvét and Sherry's body against mine, the blonde softly breathing on my neck. I looked down, her right arm around my waist as the two of us laid together in bed.

As far as I knew, Sherry was asleep, so I didn't want to make any sudden movements in case I woke her. In the end, I just stayed silent for several minutes, until I felt Sherry's breathing pick up.

"Sorry…" she whispered to me. "I should have gone back to my own room when I felt myself starting to get tired…"

"Don't worry about it." I assured her, feeling her body move entirely away from mine. "Thanks for listening last night." I said in an almost stern tone of voice.

"It's okay." Sherry smiled, moving to sit upright, running her fingers through her hair.

"It's not, actually. I shouldn't have brought you into my problems. I shouldn't have cried either. It's pathetic." After a while, I added " _I'm_ pathetic." Sherry stopped and turned to me. I could tell she was about to say something, so I cut her off. "That statement wasn't an opportunity to chime in and say what you think. It's just a statement."

"I-"

"Leave it at that." I said sharply before sighing. "I'm sorry. I'm… I'm really not in a good headspace at the moment."

"Well, pardon me for saying, but you didn't look like you were in a good headspace when we went to the Momentum Express Development Organization either."

For some reason, I smiled. "Then maybe… that's it… Maybe I'll _never_ be in a good headspace…"

" _Lâche-moi un peu_ …" Sherry mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"I heard you talking with Luna at the arcade. Everyone could hear you." Sherry told me. "If you _wanted_ to be in a good headspace, you _would_ be, but you're constantly finding reasons to be unhappy. You're pathetic because you want to be. You _want_ people to feel sorry for you-"

"Don't talk to me like you know me!" I snapped. "And don't you _dare_ suggest that I want people to feel sorry for me, okay?! I know, I _know_ that there are people out there that are _far_ worse off than me, alright?!"

"Well then why did you end up telling me everything last night?" Sherry suddenly asked. "You didn't have to, but you did anyway. Was it because you wanted me to feel sorry for you?"

"Do you want me to feel sorry for myself? Because I can. It's-it's quite easy. See, I've only just remembered all of this shit that's happened to me. Remembering how Crow and Taze died and actually realizing that they meant a _Hell_ of a lot more to me now than they did before, I _wish_ I could apologize to them. Taze especially. I was such a dick to him. What the fuck is up with me that I'd be like 'Oh, fuck music. Just gonna fucking play Duel Monsters all the fucking time. Rah, whatever, fuck.'?"

Sherry sighed. "You don't think that everyone else feels that way sometimes?"

"I think that my situation's a _little_ bit different to 'everyone else's'." I pointed out in quite a rude tone. My voice then dropped to a low mumble. "I don't get to be you, okay…? I can't be level-headed and confident and awesome and pretend like nothing bothers me even when it might… I just have to stop and realize that everything that came before this, my time with amnesia, wasn't… really anything." I sighed. "Sorry, I've been rambling on a bit too much, haven't I?"

"It's fine…" Sherry said quietly. "But listen, Tyler. If what you've told me about your stepbrother is true, then…"

"Then what?"

"N… n-never mind…" she mumbled. "Do you want to go and get something to eat?"

"What _is_ there to eat around here?" I asked, even though I knew she didn't know the answer.

"No idea." Sherry shook her head. "But why don't we go and find out?"

* * *

Surprisingly (or maybe _unsurprisingly_ ), I wasn't in the mood to eat, even though there was actually a fair bit of food that Zone had, all of which he gladly shared with us. Well, _Sherry_ really, considering I didn't eat anything.

By the time that the three of us had gotten moving though, food was the last thing on my mind, especially as I found myself staring at the giant gear which seemed to rotate at a constant, strangely rhythmic pace. Momentum flooded the cracks in the walls, ceiling and floor as I noticed Sherry's eyes were everywhere but the gear.

"This is one of the Planetary Gears, and is what the two of you will be protecting." Zone explained. "Not all of them, mind you. There are three of them, but if you'd both like to protect one gear individually, or even team up to protect one gear, that's fine. Our main objective is to keep at least one of these gears active. This keeps the main Support Gear running, which in turn powers the Ark Cradle. This is what the Signers will be coming here to stop."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Zone, if it's alright with you, I'd like Tyler and I to protect the same gear." Sherry spoke up.

Zone nodded in approval. "Very well. If that's what you desire, I have no problems with that. The two of you do not need to worry about leaving the other two gears unprotected either, for there will be others that I'm sure will be more than willing to fight for our cause."

"You mean aside from Sherry and me?"

"That's right…" Zone said, not even turning to look at me as he began walking briskly out of the room, Sherry and I trailing after him. I waited for either Sherry or Zone to say something else, but neither of them did, so the rest of the walk was pretty much in silence, aside from the sound of our footsteps. "Here we are…" Zone finally said.

It was a room that looked like any other on the Ark Cradle. Well, aside from the gear room. White tiles, white walls, but this room stood out from any other, as inside were several panels and glass cases containing various Duel Monsters cards. It had to have been the single biggest collection I had ever seen.

"Holy crap…" I whispered.

"The two of you may use the cards in this room to construct new decks to protect the gears." Zone said calmly. "Almost every card from every part of Duel Monsters history can be found here, with certain exceptions of course. The cards are organized by type, and within that, alphabetically by name."

"What are the black ones over there?" I asked, pointing to the first set of panels which held a kind of card I had never seen before.

"As I said, cards from every period of Duel Monsters history can be found here. Those cards are known as 'Xyz Monsters' and are, in a way, similar to that of Synchro Monsters. You may use those cards if you wish, though I would recommend that you limit experimentation and just stick with cards you know you can use effectively."

"Yes, Zone. Of course." Sherry nodded.

Zone smiled. "Alright then. I'll leave the two of you to create your decks." And with that, Zone simply walked away, his form fading into the same white color as the walls.

I turned to Sherry almost straight away. "Thank you for before…" I said quietly. "There's no way that I would have been able to… protect one of those gears on my own…"

" _C'est Rien_ …" she said, looking back at me with a very light smile, before focusing on the mass amounts of cards we had at our disposal. "Do you have any idea of what you want to run?"

"Sorry?" I asked, my tone a little lighter.

"Your deck." Sherry turned to me. "If we're going to be defending the same gear, we should be ready for a Tag Duel."

"Truthfully," I began, my tone returning to its dry, dead state, which had been my default since pretty much arriving at the Ark Cradle. "I'd rather just forget about all that Dueling bullshit and just slit Joel's throat or cut off his dick, but you're right. I should probably make a decent deck. There are just so many cards to choose from here, that I'm not sure where to begin looking. Back in the old days, my deck was just a copy of Yugi Muto's deck. I thought if I put cards he used into my deck that I'd be able to win. I was an idiot." I exhaled sharply. "If I'm going to _Duel_ Joel though, I wouldn't want it to be quick. I'd want to draw it out, make him suffer… Maybe I should fuck with him and put three Monster Reborn cards in my deck or some shit like that."

"I don't mind if you'd prefer to stick with your own strategies rather than have us build two decks that can play off one another. I've seen the Signer's decks. They're not really built for Tag Duel play."

"Joel's the only one I care about." I reiterated, my fists clenching as I remembered my last Duel with him. His Dragon Deck… he had Synchro monsters he didn't use, that he didn't even put into his deck before he Dueled me. Trident Dragion, Dark End Dragon, Iron Chain Dragon. He could have beaten me if he wanted to. Easily. "Even in that Duel, that fucking troll was toying with me." I felt my body begin to shake. "I will _crush_ him…! I will watch the blood _drain_ from his body, _burn_ his corpse and _scatter his ashes into the wind_!"

My voice seemed to echo endlessly around the room as Sherry looked at me in a way I couldn't discern. I sighed, before I started going through cards myself.

* * *

Although my mind had lost track of the days I had left until the Ark Cradle would begin its descent towards New Domino City, the rest of my body seemed to be keeping up, if my constant panic attacks, vomiting, nausea and violent outbursts were anything to go by.

I'd made a new deck with Sherry's help. It wasn't really anything special, but I was sure it would get the job done, which was really all I needed it for anyway.

Sherry and I were once again in the card room, the two of us seated on the floor, cards spread out between us as we'd been working on combos and the like. It's really all that we'd been doing since Zone had brought us there.

"Tyler, Sherry…"

Speaking of Zone, Sherry and I both turned to the entrance, getting up off the floor and bowing to Zone as he approached.

"I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine," Zone smiled, stepping aside as a truly gigantic man stepped into view. My first thought was that he had incredibly broad shoulders. My second thought was that those were probably just shoulder pads. Still though, he was incredibly tall and literally towered over Sherry and I. It was a wonder that I hadn't seen him from behind Zone when Zone had walked in.

The man's blood red eyes looked to me and then Sherry, before gently bowing his head. "My name is Aporia. It's good to meet the two of you, under better circumstances than last time."

"What do you mean?" Sherry asked.

Aporia chuckled. "You don't recognize me in this state, but I am…" he stopped. "It's difficult for me to describe it, but basically, I am the combined, true form of the Three Emperors of Yliaster – Primo, Lester, and Jakob."

"L-Lester…" I stammered. "You wouldn't happen to have any connection to the Lester that tried to kill two Signers, Leo and Luna, would you?"

Aporia nodded. "Lester is… _was_ … the embodiment of my childhood. The naïveté, the brashness, the foolishness."

My mind went into a blind rage, and before I knew what I was doing, I'd found I had punched Aporia in the lower chest. If I had've been taller, I would have aimed for his face. "That's for what your Meklord did!" I spat, cringing a little as my knuckle was aching incredibly, as if I'd just punched steel. "Fuck, what are you made out of?! _Metal_?!"

Aporia cocked his head to the side. "More or less." He smiled, showing me his teeth. His fangs. "I don't blame you for attacking me though. After all, it must be difficult having emotions to deal with."

"What the fuck do you mean by that?!" I snapped.

"To put it simply, I am an android, the embodiment of despair itself. I am one of Zone's soldiers, working with him to right the wrongs of the past and fix the future. Unlike you, I do not experience emotion. I do however, understand how emotions can change people, how they can make people act, so I understand why you hit me. You've had to deal with that pent up aggression you haven't quite let go of. It's simply one of the flaws of being human."

Zone cleared his throat, probably not because he had to, but just to get our attention. "It's good to see the two of you have been working on your decks. The Signers will be boarding the Ark Cradle in two days, and I hope that you will be ready to face them by then."

"Yes, of course, Zone." Sherry nodded.

"How many Signers you fight, however, depends on how tomorrow goes." Zone smiled.

"What's important about tomorrow?" I asked.

"That day marks the finals of the World Racing Grand Prix." Zone explained.

"It is foreseen. I shall defeat Yusei, Jack, and Akiza at the finals of the Grand Prix, and then Leo and Luna here on the Ark Cradle. The deaths of all five Signers are inevitable." Aporia smiled.

"…So the Grand Prix is still happening then…" I muttered. "I thought maybe Team 5D's would've been more banged up over my disappearance, but I guess not, if they have time to play cards…" I sighed. We had mourned Crow's passing for several weeks, and while it was true that the Grand Prix had been postponed from the Ghost outbreak (and I had until now lost track of how much time I'd spent so far at the Ark Cradle), I'd have thought that maybe Yusei and the others would have taken some time to mourn for me.

But maybe they didn't. Maybe that was too much to ask.

I shook my head. "Big fucking whoop." I said. "What about Joel? How do we get him here? I want to kill him."

"Patience, Tyler." Zone smiled. "You've waited so long. You need only hold on for a little while longer, and Joel will be yours. You can decide his fate for yourself."

"It was good meeting you, but I must leave now, and begin final preparations. I'll see you soon." Aporia spoke rigidly.

"Take care." Zone nodded, before he turned to me. There was something about the way he looked at me that put me offside, and I expected him to say something to either Sherry or myself, but he didn't. Instead, he turned away, following Aporia out of the room.

It was only after they left and I'd rubbed my fingers along my face that I realized that I'd been crying.

* * *

In what felt like no time at all, the day had arrived. I brushed myself down, having been given new clothes by Zone. They were pretty cool-looking. It was a suit with a sort of stitchy-looking mesh of black and white and metal shoulder pads on both sides, along with steel-toed boots. To be honest, I'd have preferred a Pink Floyd T-shirt, but the suit was still good.

I sighed, taking a deep breath as I closed my eyes, grabbing my Duel Disk, a black variation on the standard design that Zone had made for me, and fastening it to my arm. Only when there was a knock at my door did I move, heading over to the door and opening it. Sherry stood on the other side, wearing clothing that, in terms of color, was the exact inverse of mine. One thing I noticed was that she didn't seem to be wearing a bra underneath. Another thing was that she looked very nervous and unsure about something.

"Is everything alright? You look a bit out of it." I noted.

"Um…" Sherry looked down, her cheeks flushed with red. I'd never seen her like this before. "I… I contacted the Signers… They won the Grand Prix, and… now that this place is headed for New Domino City, they'll be here soon to stop us…"

"I knew they were coming here anyway, so what's the point of-"

"I told them that you were alive… That you were here with me…"

"You _what_?!" I snapped, quickly beginning to feel as if I was losing control of my body. "No-no-no-no-no-no-no… no-no-no-no-no-no. No you didn't…" I stammered. "L-L-L-Luna… Sh-she's… How…? Why would you do that?! _What the fuck_?! No, they can't. They just can't!"

"Joel had to find out in some way, and he was with the Signers when I spoke to them. How else was he going to come here if he didn't even know you were still alive?"

Sherry made a good point, but unfortunately, I wasn't seeing sense. "You just had to meddle, didn't you? Zone said he had everything planned and that Joel would make it here of his own accord! I don't care if he knew, but for the others to know… I… I just… I…" I started trembling, feeling tears well up in my eyes. In spite of how I wanted it to be, how I felt like it should be, I just couldn't forget about Yusei and the others. But if they believed Sherry that I was here, working with Zone to destroy the city, then I knew they would never forgive me.

Without warning, Sherry slapped me across the face, and then grabbed my head in her hands, staring directly into my eyes. "Whether or not I would have said anything doesn't change the fact that they're coming. Now I'm sure you don't want Joel to see you crying, so wipe those tears away."

I sniffed profusely, doing as she told me to.

"Are you ready?" Sherry asked.

I nodded.


	20. Change (In the House of Flies)

I wasn't ready.

My heart pounded in my chest as Sherry and I waited at the Planetary Gear for Joel to arrive. I tried keeping my mind off things, staring at the Momentum which surged through every facet, every crevice, in an attempt to distract myself. That didn't work.

"Relax." Sherry said calmly. "Everything's going to be okay."

I turned to her, choking out the words. "Just stop. I need to concentrate."

"Okay…" Sherry whispered, the two of us looking away from each other as I tried getting my breathing under control. That proved to be incredibly difficult, as I couldn't shake away the fear I had of what was to come, even in spite of what I knew.

Aporia had lost his Duel with Team 5D's, and though it seemed like, because of that, I'd never get my chance at killing Joel, the Ark Cradle was still able to cross over into New Domino City. All that really meant to me was that I could've been facing any of the Signers as my opponents at the gear. Apparently though, Aporia and Zone, the former having somehow survived his encounter with the Signers, had strategically arranged things so they were cut off from each other. I wasn't quite sure how, but to be honest, I didn't care. All that mattered to me was that I'd be facing Joel. If he had a Signer with him, then so be it. He'd need the help to beat me.

"I was just thinking, you probably don't want me interfering, do you?" Sherry sighed, once again breaking the silence.

"That's a little difficult, isn't it? There's gonna be two of them, and we'll be fighting together." I reminded her. I closed my eyes, licking my lips. "Listen, if the time comes and I can't kill him, I want you to do it."

"Of course."

"Thank you…" I smiled, opening my eyes. "You know, I don't think I ever said… I'm sorry about what happened to your parents…"

"That's okay… I know that I'll see them again soon…" Sherry spoke softly. I could hear the sound of two Duel Runner engines roaring in the distance, and my body froze. "Here they come."

"I-I know." I stammered, gagging in my mouth. I rushed behind the Planetary Gear, quickly expelling the phlegm in my mouth, coughing and spluttering onto the ground. By the time I was finished, I could hear that the two Duel Runners had gotten closer. My heart kept on beating incessantly as both Duel Runner ignitions were turned off.

"Congratulations on making it this far." Sherry called out only a few moments later. "But neither of you will be leaving this room alive."

I took a deep breath, stepping out from behind the Planetary Gear as well, joining Sherry's side. Both Joel's and Akiza's faces dropped as they saw me. With Akiza, it looked like it was a mix of shock and relief. With Joel… I didn't fucking give a shit.

To be honest, I was surprised that Akiza was here with Joel, but I refused to show any sort of weakness through facial expressions. I probably shouldn't have been surprised though. Joel had always seen himself as a player, and he probably only thought of Akiza as nothing more than a girl with nice tits. Even just thinking about him made my blood boil.

"T-Tyler!" Akiza shouted. "You're alive?!"

"That's correct, Izinski." I said, doing the best I could to keep my voice from shaking. I then turned to Joel. "I've been waiting for you…"

Joel's face broke a smile. "Well it really is good to see you, mate. I was really upset when Yusei told me that you'd died." he explained as he started walking over to me.

"Were you now…?" I mulled.

"Yes, I-"

"Stop." I said, my hand outstretched once Joel had made it ex-distance from me. "I don't want you anywhere near me, you…" I paused, trying to find the right words to express my feelings. "Horrible, disgusting person."

"I don't understand." Joel spoke softly.

"I've got my memories back." I said bluntly. Joel's eyes widened, almost in fear, his face flushed with color.

"Oh…" a sound escaped his lips. "You do…?"

"Yes… I do…"

Silence hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. I waited for Joel to say something, but he didn't. I refused to say anything more until I at least had recognition from him that I knew how much of a cunt he'd been. Joel swallowed audibly, starting to sweat a little.

"Tyler told me everything… You really are a disgusting cretin, you know that?" Sherry interjected.

"Stay out of this, Shia LaBeouf!" Joel snapped, turning back to me. "Tyler, you have to understand! I didn't want you t-"

"You _definitely_ wanted me to know!" I interrupted. "Why else would you continuously drop hints like ' _I'm_ part of the reason you're unhappy' and all that shit. What? Were you just hoping that when I found out, that I'd forgive you?! That you'd be able to say 'I gave you plenty of warning'?"

"Listen, whatever's going on here can wait! We have to stop the gear!" Akiza shouted. "As we speak, the Ark Cradle is falling. If this place descends on New Domino City, millions of people will die!"

" _This_ _can't_ _wait_!" I screamed vehemently. "I've waited too long for this to have it put off any longer!"

"Tyler's not changing his mind." Sherry smirked. "And neither am I. To stop the Planetary Gear, you'll have to defeat us."

"Why, Tyler? I don't understand why you're doing this…" Akiza cringed. "Why are you against us all of a sudden?"

"This has nothing to do with you…" I croaked, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Well it feels like it does!" Akiza shouted back. "If you're with Zone, like Sherry is, then you're against us. Me, Yusei… your girlfriend, Luna. You know she took your 'death' really hard, don't you? You meant the world to her. Is this really what you want to do? You want to fight against her like this?"

I felt myself starting to have a breakdown, tears flowing as my body shook. Luna must have hated me, but I didn't blame her. I didn't blame Akiza either. Or Yusei, Jack, or anyone else. Only Joel.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked my stepbrother, my voice wavering immensely.

Another audible swallow from Joel. "I… I didn't think you'd ever remember…" he muttered.

"You cunt!" I spat. "I'll kill you!"

I charged forward, arms and legs swinging violently at Joel. If he'd only stood still for a moment, I'd have probably killed him. Unfortunately, my stepbrother was too fast for me, easily ducking and weaving out of the way of every punch and kick I threw.

"Tyler, calm down! I don't want to hurt you!"

My eyes widened, and I dropped to my knees. Never in my life had I felt such anger course through my body. Not from my stepdad abusing me. Not from Sayer wiping out my memories and turning me into a cultist freak. No. That all paled in comparison to my stepbrother's words, his insistence that he didn't want to hurt me.

"It's a little late for that, isn't it? You hurt me by keeping everything from me. If I had've known what kind of person you are, do you think I honestly would've hung out with you, that I would've come up to you at the Gala? A sad pot-smoking loner with fewer brains than an infant. A person who was willing to let his dad abuse another member of his family. I mean, I get that we're not _blood-related_ … but… we were still family…"

"Why do you think I did what I did?! Giving you money, buying you food-"

"You think that giving me money makes up for everything?! The bullshit that I had to go through with your cunt of a father!" I shouted, rising to my feet.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?!" Akiza interrupted.

"Joel's father was physically abusive towards Tyler growing up. Joel knew, but told Tyler just to let things be to protect his mother. He's the reason why Tyler ran away, and it's the reason why Tyler's here now. He wants to kill Joel." Sherry explained. "I don't blame him at all."

Akiza's mouth went agape, her head darting between Joel and myself. "Is that true?" she asked Joel, but Joel didn't give any sort of confirmation. To Akiza though, it seemed that was enough, herself turning back to me, a pained expression on her face. "Tyler, I… I didn't… I-I'm sorry…"

"You did nothing wrong. Don't apologize to me." I said coldly. "It's pathetic."

Akiza shook her head. "No it's not. I understand now. You went with Zone only because you felt alone, because you felt like no one cared, like how I went with Sayer. I know what it's like to feel alone, to feel like there's no way out. I know that better than anyone, but you don't have to be alone. We're… we're still friends, Tyler. Please, we… We can stop the gear together, defeat Zone, and get you the help you need." Akiza said softly, walking towards me.

"Stay away from me!" I warned, retreating just a little. "I don't need help! I need to kill!" I felt more anger welling up, and I couldn't stop myself from turning to Joel and yelling at him some more. "And _you_! You had the _gall_ to get angry and shocked about my suicide attempt?! Did it ever occur to you that _you_ were part of my reason for running away? My mom hated me because I ran away, and I didn't even know that I ran away until it was too late! Because your dad, her husband, was an abusive cunt, and you just kept on living your life in blissful ignorance, not even caring about what happened, so long as nothing happened to your 'precious daddy'! I spent so much time, _so_ _much_ _time_ , blaming someone else for everything that happened. And I shouldn't have hated _him_. I should've hated _you_!" I yelled. My body was shaking so violently at this point, it was a wonder I was even still standing. Every part of my body ached as I willed myself to regain control of my emotions. Clenching my hands into fists, I exhaled, my voice becoming lower and softer. "You had your chance to tell me all this time, and you didn't. And you wait until you think I'm dead to apologize. Were you just hoping I'd always have amnesia, die and then you'd never have to worry about anything else ever again?"

"Tyler…" Joel mumbled. "I'm… I'm sorry…"

"No you're not. If you were, you would've said something long ago. You are a sad, insignificant, worthless excuse for a human being." My lips slowly curled into a smile. "But you know what? So am I…"

Joel, Sherry, Akiza. All three of them turned to me as I made that statement. "Huh?"

"That's what I've realized while I've been here. How meaningless our existence is. How, in the scheme of everything in the universe, one person living or dying doesn't matter."

"W-where are you going with this?" Joel stammered.

"I tried once before… killing myself…" I muttered, feeling tears start to form in my eyes as brief thoughts of Luna filled my mind, only to be pushed back by my bloodlust. "But now there's no one here to stop me…"

Akiza once again attempted to reason with me. "Tyler, you can't possibly think-"

I cut Akiza off, still focusing only on Joel. "So if you don't die… then I'll kill myself. Hell, I might kill myself just for the fuck of it after I kill you… after all, I have nothing left to live for… And these memories are causing me _such_ _strife_."

I quickly brought my left arm up, the blade of my Duel Disk facing down as I turned my right arm, driving the blade across it, blood running from the long cut that started to form.

"Holy shit!" Joel shouted. I leaned down, licking and sucking on my arm to taste my blood, most of it unfortunately missing my mouth. Regardless, I looked back at him, blood smeared around my lips, my teeth most likely stained red. "You're…" Joel muttered. "You're sick!" He shouted.

"I… I don't believe this… _Any_ of this…" Akiza mumbled.

"Whether you believe any of this or not doesn't change anything." Sherry said, but the tone of her voice told me that she seemed perturbed by my self-harm. "If you want to deactivate the Planetary Gear, you'll have to beat the two of us in a Tag Duel."

"One of us has to die, Joel. And to be perfectly honest, I don't care which of us it is. So shut the fuck up and Duel me!" I shouted, licking my lips.

Joel's eyes twitched. "Fine!" He snapped, activating his Duel Disk, before turning to Akiza. "Let's waste these fuckers!"

"You think I'm going to partner up with you?" Akiza asked. "If you're the reason that Tyler-"

"Listen: if you want that shitty gear thing to stop moving or whatever, we have to Duel them." Joel argued. "I really don't give a rat's ass about what you think, but you told me that this is something that needs to be done."

Akiza sighed, closing her eyes, before opening them again and activating her Duel Disk. "Alright… Let's Duel…"

[Sherry & Tyler: 8000 LP]  
[Akiza & Joel: 8000 LP]

I looked down, drawing five cards as Akiza began.

"I'll Set one monster face-down, and Set another card face-down too." Akiza spoke, her voice a little uneven. "I'll stop there."

I turned to Sherry. "You go." I told her. Sherry nodded, turning back to Akiza as she drew a card from her deck.

"I place two cards face-down, and Set one monster as well." The blonde said calmly, brushing one hand through her hair after she was finished. "Turn end."

Joel jerked his body before closing his eyes and smirking. "Fine… You women can play defense all you want, but _I'm_ actually gonna get shit done!" he shouted, drawing a card. "Red-Eyes Wyvern, Attack Position!" Joel threw the card down onto his Duel Disk as a pint-sized black dragon appeared on his side of the field [ATK: 1800]. "Attack!"

Joel's monster formed a small ball of fire in its mouth before shooting it at Sherry's Set card, a revealed Fleur Synchron, which was destroyed instantly.

Sherry threw one of her hands up into the air. "I activate Chain Close!" she said firmly.

Joel looked like he was holding back some laughter. "Go ahead. I'll Set one card and that'll be it from me."

I could feel phlegm starting to form in my throat again as I drew, keeping eye contact with Joel. "One monster Set. Three backrow Set." I said, trying to keep all emotion from my voice. "Turn end."

"Tyler…" Akiza mumbled, myself doing the best I could to keep my emotionless expression from faltering. Akiza groaned just a little. "My turn!" Akiza drew, throwing a monster card onto her Duel Disk. "Twilight Rose Knight! Come forth!" she shouted, a slender young warrior appearing next to Akiza, drawing his sword and pointing it at Sherry and I [ATK: 1000]. "I use the ability of my Rose Knight to call on Rose Witch!"

Twilight Rose Knight pointed his sword into the air, but I flipped one of my face-down cards over. "Sorry, Izinski. Activate Bottomless Trap Hole to Banish Rose Witch."

Just as Akiza's monster touched down onto the field, a hole opened up below her, the young witch falling through as the hole closed over. Akiza twitched. "I play Monster Reborn!" she shouted. "I'll Special Summon Sherry's Fleur Synchron to my side of the field!" Sherry's goofy-looking flower-thing appeared on Akiza's field as Sherry's Graveyard lit up [ATK: 400]. "I'll enter my Battle Phase, and attack your Set card with Joel's Red-Eyes Wyvern!" Akiza shouted.

"Yeah, and you can suck on my Dragon's Rage too!" Joel added, revealing his face-down card.

"Chain Magic Cylinder." I said calmly, revealing my own face-down and watching as the fireball from Joel's dragon was thrown right back at him.

[Akiza & Joel: 6200 LP]

"You piece of shit!" Joel yelled. There was a little bit of panic that I could see instilled in Joel. It was the first time that I ever saw Joel looking that way. I was angry because of that. He never had to face his father's abuse like I did. I realized I'd have to make up for lost time and pay him what he was due.

"…I'm going to slit your throat, strip down and wash my naked body in your blood." I responded without even thinking, Akiza twitching a little.

"I-I move to my second Main Phase, and tune Twilight Rose Knight with Red-Eyes Wyvern! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Black Rose Dragon!"

The light from both Synchro Materials intensified as thorns erupted from the ground, wrapping around the monsters before the ball of conjoined plant life seemed to shatter, Akiza's Signer Dragon standing in their place, looking down at Sherry and I as it stretched its petal-like wings [ATK: 2400].

Joel turned to Akiza. "Hey! Did I say you could use my monster as Synchro Material?!"

Akiza barely even acknowledged my stepbrother, turning back to Sherry and I. "I end my turn."

"Alright, my turn!" Sherry shouted, turning to me. "Tyler, may I?"

"Do whatever you like…"

Sherry looked back at Akiza and Joel. "In that case, I'll flip up Tyler's Set card!"

I flipped over the monster I'd Set, revealing one Dragon Manipulator [ATK: 700].

"The fuck?!" Joel yelled.

I tilted my head to the side, feigning a look of innocence. Was the cunt _really_ so surprised? Dragons, after all, were the heart of Joel's deck, so of course I was going to run cards that would specifically disrupt his play. It also helped that the Signer Dragons were Dragon-type monsters as well.

"Using Dragon Manipulator's effect, I take control of Black Rose Dragon." Sherry told them. The warrior astride the dragon beckoned Akiza's monster, and with minimal effort, Black Rose Dragon relented, taking a spot over on Sherry's field.

"N-no!" Akiza gasped.

"Are you ready, Tyler?" Sherry asked. I nodded, Sherry smirking. "Next, I activate the Field Spell Card, Soul-Binding Gate!"

In a flash of light, a great door rose up from the ground as the bones of a giant demon came down, its hands wrapping around both Sherry's body and mine, as we were lifted off the ground and hoisted into the air, suspended by the demon.

"Tyler!" Akiza shouted, almost sounding concerned as giant metal bars came out of the floor, further securing the Planetary Gear as it became surrounded by an insurmountable wall of steel.

"What the Hell even _is_ that…?" Joel muttered.

"I won't be letting either of you get past this gate!" Sherry yelled. "Black Rose Dragon! Attack Fleur Synchron!"

With a mighty, yet hesitant roar, Akiza's Black Rose Dragon snapped its mouth open, a jet of purple fire streaming out and burning its target to cinders.

[Akiza & Joel: 4200 LP]

Black Rose Dragon let loose a low growl, almost apologizing for attacking Akiza.

"You can have your dragon back now." Sherry said calmly, Black Rose Dragon making its way back over to Akiza and Joel's field. "Turn end."

Joel drew quickly. "I attack Dragon Manipulator with Black Rose Dragon!" he yelled.

Once again, Akiza's monster spewed purple flames from its mouth, the fire surging violently towards my Dragon Manipulator.

"Reveal Set card, Sakuretsu Armor." I smiled, flipping over a Set card as my warrior became coated in the reactive armor, the attack bouncing off my warrior and back onto Black Rose Dragon, destroying it.

"I play a monster in Defense Mode, and Set two cards to end my turn!" Joel shouted.

I licked my lips, drawing slowly as I thought over my next move. There wasn't really much I could do except play defensive, so I switched Dragon Manipulator to Defense Position [DEF: 800] and Set Old Vindictive Magician face-down in Defense as well. I performed my moves in silence before gesturing for Akiza to start her turn.

"I Flip Summon Red-Eyes Wyvern!" Akiza shouted, Joel's card flipping up to reveal another of his dragons.

Sherry smirked. "Nice try, but I activate the effect of Soul-Binding Gate! If you Summon a monster that has less Attack Power than our current Life Points, the monster is automatically destroyed, and we'll take eight hundred Life Points as damage!"

Red-Eyes Wyvern shattered like glass as a blue light shot out of the gate, piercing Sherry, Joel, Akiza and I, all four of us screaming in pain. I wanted to clutch at my heart, but I was restricted with how Soul-Binding Gate's skeleton was holding me.

[Sherry & Tyler: 7200 LP]  
[Akiza & Joel: 3400 LP]

My gag reflex went into overdrive, my hips straining as I coughed up a large amount of phlegm and a small amount of blood onto my clothing.

"What…" Joel croaked. "What the Hell was that…? Fuck…"

Akiza breathed heavily. "Real damage…"

"How does it feel?!" I yelled hoarsely. "To experience real pain for the first time in your life…!" I once again fought back the urge to gag, failing miserably as I coughed up some more fluid. "These bonds are tight… I'm not free of you yet, but I will be…" I groaned, my voice breaking.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Joel called.

"No-no-no… Shut up!" I shouted.

"Tyler…" Akiza groaned. "I…" she trailed off, having to focus her efforts on breathing. "I Banish a Red-Eyes Wyvern so I can revive the other from our Graveyard!" Once again, Joel's dragon appeared on Akiza's field [ATK: 1800].

"My turn." Sherry smiled, once again turning to me. My heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of her darkened face and burnt hair.

"Sh-Sherry… you're-"

The blonde continued to smile as she cut me off. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Can I reveal your monster?"

I swallowed, looking down at Akiza as the words left my mouth almost involuntarily. "Yes…" I flipped my Old Vindictive Magician over [ATK: 450].

Sherry's smile widened. "Thanks to Old Vindictive Magician's effect, I can destroy a monster on the field."

"We know what the card does, you bitch!" Joel snapped.

"But have you already forgotten about my Soul-Binding Gate?" Sherry remarked, the four of us once again finding ourselves struck by a burning blue light as my magician was destroyed.

[Sherry & Tyler: 6400 LP]  
[Akiza & Joel: 2600 LP]

I roared in agony as I found myself forcing more phlegm from my body.

"With Old Vindictive's effect, I destroy Red-Eyes Wyvern…!" Sherry breathed, the dragon shattering just as it had done before. "Next, I play Summoner of Illusions." A robed man appeared on the field, behind him apparitions of red, green and blue, all ready to strike [ATK: 800]. "And activate Magical Dimension, tributing Dragon Manipulator to Special Summon Sorciere de Fleur!" Then, in a flash of light, a spectacular-looking woman with flower petals for hair glided onto Sherry's field [ATK: 2900].

"Damn…" Joel twitched.

Sherry smirked. "Once per turn, I can activate Sorciere de Fleur's effect, letting me resurrect one of your monsters from the Graveyard. I choose Black Rose Dragon!"

Akiza gasped as her signature monster once again found itself on our field staring her down [ATK: 2400].

For a moment, I felt my heart stop. We now had three monsters on our field, and it seemed like my resolution was only a step away.

"Black Rose Dragon! _Attack_!" Sherry shouted, thrusting her arm forward and letting out a maniacal laugh. Black Rose Dragon charged its attack, before firing it directly at Joel.

" _Die_!" I shouted, laughing as I joined Sherry in lunacy.

"I play Radiant Mirror Force!" Joel shouted, a reflective barrier rising up from the ground as Black Rose Dragon's attack bounced off the barrier and back against us, destroying all of our monsters.

The moment came so quickly that I wasn't even sure if it had actually happened. "You…!" I muttered.

"I'm not done." Joel grunted. "I play my other face-down card, Dragon's Call! Since Black Rose Dragon was destroyed, I can Special Summon it to our field, and then you take damage equal to its attack power!"

"What?!" Sherry shouted, Akiza's Black Rose Dragon appearing with a mighty roar, its thorns whipping forward and striking at the skeletal guardian of the Soul-Binding Gate. Instinctively I braced myself, expecting to feel some excruciating pain as Akiza's dragon whipped at both mine and Sherry's bound bodies.

[Sherry & Tyler: 4000 LP]

Surprisingly, I felt absolutely nothing, though that didn't stop me from becoming almost overwhelmed in confusion. "I can't… Where did…? But…" I started breathing heavily. "What the fuck is happening?!" I shouted. "Izinski!" I called. "Why did you hold your powers back?! That should have hurt me! Why didn't it?!" I yelled.

Akiza looked up at me. "Do you _really_ think I'd hurt you, Tyler?"

"You have to." I told her. "If you want to save New Domino City, you _have_ to hurt me. I'm your enemy!"

"No you're not." Akiza shook her head quickly. "I told you. I-I still consider you a friend."

My expression hardened. "Even after I hurt you?"

"I hurt _you_ , remember?" Akiza asked. "At the Arcadia Movement, and then at the hospital. But you stayed by my side. You didn't abandon me-"

"That wasn't the real me, Izinski. That was me with amnesia. Everything that happened then… it-"

"Don't tell me it didn't matter." Akiza interrupted.

I chuckled, turning to my stepbrother. "As much as I hate you, I have to admit you were right. The old Tyler died thanks to Sayer, and a new one was born then. But he died too. _I_ am the real Tyler. So yes, Izinski, none of that mattered."

Akiza kept her eyes on mine. "…So you never loved Luna then…?"

I stopped, feeling my body tense involuntarily as my eyes averted hers, my heartbeat picking up. I tried to not let it show on my face, but Akiza's question affected me more than I would've liked.

_You're so important to me… You have no idea…_

_If you're going to be angry at anyone, it's me. But Luna… She is the best person I know, and you have no right being angry at her._

_What you have isn't a weakness, Luna, it's a strength, and if everyone was like you, the world would be a much better place._

_I love you too. I will always love you…_

"O-o-o-of c-course I did…" I muttered, hating myself for stuttering. I shook my head. "But… but, I… I…" I continued to stutter. "I-I-I can't go back. Sh-she'd never forgive me…" I struggled regaining my composure.

"You don't know that." Akiza said to me. "It's not too late, Tyler. Don't let other people dictate who you can be! Be the person _you_ want to be!"

My mouth slowly opened. "I…" I swallowed. "I just want to be happy…" I groaned. "Luna made me feel like I was the most important person in the world, but that's not enough anymore! I can't be happy while Joel's still alive! He needs to pay for what he's done!"

"Hey, it's your choice to take it personally, Tyler." Joel sighed.

"I don't know about Joel. But as for Luna, after this, we can go and see her." Akiza smiled. "She's here on the Ark Cradle too, and I'm sure she'd be over the moon to know you're okay… You… you want to see her, don't you?"

"I-I do…" I nodded quickly, subconsciously moving my right hand over to offer a surrender.

"What are you thinking?!" Sherry shouted at me. "We have more Life Points than them!"

I flinched, pulling my hand back, noticing my flesh was burnt from the Soul-Binding Gate.

"Alright, enough of this crap! If you're not gonna give up, I'll just beat you down myself! My turn!" Joel shouted. "I play Stamping Destruction, which means that since Black Rose Dragon's on our field, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field, and the controller will lose five hundred Life Points!" Joel spoke slowly, in an almost mocking tone. Black Rose Dragon roared, and with one stamp of its feet, the ground cracked and shifted, the Soul-Binding Gate beginning to crumble.

It was then that I remembered that Sherry and I were both suspended by the demon-like skeleton – an element of the Soul-Binding Gate. As the gate collapsed, so did the skeleton's grip on Sherry and I.

[Sherry & Tyler: 3500 LP]

"Tyler!" Akiza screeched.

I hit the ground with a thud and a sharp yell as I landed on my back, the wind knocked out of me. I tensed both my hands, gasping tremendously as I tried to breathe, but obviously finding it quite difficult. Aside from my hands, I had little luck getting feeling through my body. As far as I knew, I was paralyzed.

"I'm not done. I play Meteor of Destruction!" my stepbrother shouted, throwing the card onto the field. A ball of fire rose up from the field, ascending high into the air, before crashing down into my body.

[Sherry & Tyler: 2500 LP]

"Finally, I attack with Black Rose Dragon!"

If I had've been in better shape, I would've snickered knowing Joel was only targeting me for all of the attacks. For the umpteenth time, Black Rose Dragon breathed its purple fire, this time all over me. It was completely painless, and I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with Akiza's powers, or if I was just in such a bad shape already that I just couldn't feel it.

[Sherry & Tyler: 100 LP]

"That's enough!" Akiza yelled, rushing over to me, crouching down and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Oh my God…" Akiza breathed. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Finish me… I… I pass…" I whispered, trying to draw in as much air as I could. "S-stop the gear, but do it quick. Last time was also because of me… Just… I'm sorry…" I croaked.

Akiza shushed me. "Just focus on your breathing, okay? You're gonna be alright, you're gonna be fine."

" _Je suis désolée, Papa_ …" I heard Sherry mumble across from me. I wanted to look over at her and see what condition she was in, but I couldn't move my head without getting a burning sensation in my neck.

Akiza looked back over at her Signer Dragon. "Alright, Black Rose Dragon, let's do this…!"

I stayed completely still as Black Rose Dragon leaned down, breathing softly on myself and then Sherry. At first, for some reason, I thought that Akiza had taken pity on us, and didn't want to finish us with a massive attack, but I soon began to regain feeling in my limbs and eventually, all the pain in my body subsided.

[Sherry & Tyler: 0 LP]

"Now Black Rose Dragon! Destroy the Planetary Gear!" Akiza ordered, her Signer Dragon's thorn-like tail whipping forward and piercing right through the massive construct.

The room dimmed, the rainbow-colored light which had previously been running through the walls had disappeared, and the ground began to shake.

"Quickly, we have to get out of here!" Akiza shouted, Black Rose Dragon fading away in a shower of purple light.

"Leave me here…" I whispered. "Just let me die…"

Akiza shook her head. "That's not an option. Come on!" Akiza tried to get me to my feet, but I pulled against her. "Sherry!" She called, Sherry coming over and pulling me to my feet with seemingly no effort. Akiza threw my right arm over her shoulder, and Sherry did the other, the two of them dragging me over to Akiza's Duel Runner, Akiza fitting a spare helmet onto my head.

"This shit's fucked…" Joel muttered, running over to his Duel Runner. As Akiza helped me onto her Duel Runner after getting on herself, Sherry jogged over to my stepbrother and began arguing with him. When I looked over, I saw that Sherry was the one driving Joel's Duel Runner, with Joel scooched up behind her.

"C'mon! You gotta hold onto me, or you'll fall off!" Akiza told me, myself groaning as I moved my hands to her waist.

Sherry took off rather quickly, before throwing the Runner into auto-pilot. Akiza on the other hand was rather slow, no doubt inconvenienced by how my body was shaking. After a few moments, Akiza put her Duel Runner into auto-pilot too.

I didn't feel comfortable saying anything at all, so I just stayed silent, resisting the urge to let go of Akiza's waist and dive off her Duel Runner while she was driving. I had failed in achieving the one thing that I needed to achieve: killing Joel. And now, not only was that bastard still alive, but so was I. I could no longer bear even breathing the same air as him.

"You still with me?!" Akiza shouted over the roar of her engine. "Tyler?!" she called again, after getting no reply.

"…I'm so sorry…" I blubbered, feeling tears start to form out of the corners of my eyes. "I just can't…"

"Can't what? Don't let go of me, Tyler." Akiza urged, almost as if she knew exactly what I was thinking of doing. "Listen, I know that with everything that's gone on, and with everything that we still have to do, now's probably not a good time to get into anything, but… I want you to know… about your stepdad, I… I'm really sorry…" she muttered, pausing for a moment. "When I was younger, the day that my powers manifested, when my dad called me a monster, he… hit me…"

My grip on Akiza's waist involuntarily tightened for just a moment, and when I realized I might've been causing her discomfort, I relented. "H-he did?"

Akiza nodded. "It was just the one time, and I'm okay now, but… back then… I was so young and I thought that that was just something that happened. Monsters would get punished, even if they didn't mean to hurt anyone." Akiza sighed. "I know that our circumstances aren't the same, but believe me when I tell you that I know what you've gone through."

" _Going_ through." I corrected her. "My memories. They're all jumbled. Everything with the Arcadia Movement and the Dark Signers feels like it happened a decade ago, and everything that happened with Joel and his dad…" I stopped, forcing myself to calm down. "It feels like it's still going on…" my voice cracked. "It's hard for me to keep track of everything. I've tried sorting it out in my head, but every time I think of Joel, I lose everything else."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know that…" Akiza muttered. "Listen, once we've saved New Domino, we'll get you whatever help you need. You don't have to go through anything alone anymore. I promise. You and I, we're friends. And I know that Yusei and the others will feel the same way when they see you."

"Thanks… A-Akiza…" I stammered, noticing that we were already coming up to a large intersection of sorts. Sherry slowed Joel's Duel Runner down, opting to match our speed with hers. Thankfully, the pathway was wide enough for both the Runners to be equal distance from each other without any potential danger. My heartbeat picked up as I attempted to wipe at my face and clean myself up, which I couldn't do very well, since I was wearing a helmet.

I could see the winding trail ahead of us come to an end, two other pathways also culminating at the extended platform where a collection of top-heavy cogs were fitted together. I recognized it as the entrance to the Support Gear. As we got closer, I saw Jack, Leo, and Luna standing by a sealed door, a door which I knew would only open if the three Planetary Gears had their rotations halted.

Sherry pulled up first, setting the Runner into park as she got off of it, chucking her helmet to Joel. I tensed. Joel was lucky Akiza was driving and not me. I'd have killed him.

Akiza slowed to a stop, before turning to me, showing a weak but reassuring smile. "Are you ready?"

"I feel like I'm gonna puke…" I mumbled, turning to my side and removing my helmet. Akiza helped me off her Duel Runner before taking off her helmet and setting it down on her seat. Akiza took her spare helmet from me as I averted my eyes from the rest of the present Signers who were no doubt looking in my direction.

"Hey… It's going to be alright…" Akiza cooed, taking one of my hands in hers. I looked over at Sherry, who was now talking with Jack. There didn't seem to be any ill will between them, and I only hoped that the same could be said between myself, Jack, and everyone else. Of course, they didn't really know Sherry, so whatever anger they had for her wouldn't be based on any prior feelings. I, on the other hand, was supposed to be a close friend to Yusei and the others, and for me to have turned on them… I just wasn't quite sure what to expect.

As Akiza and I approached, I noticed Luna's expression as she stared at me. A glazed look. Akiza let go of my hand as I walked towards Luna.

"I didn't want to believe it…" Luna muttered.

"L-Luna…" I stuttered, shakily reaching my arm out to touch her, but Luna moved away.

"Don't touch me…" she said softly. So softly that I wasn't even sure she'd said it at first. "Just… stay away…"

"Luna…" Akiza muttered.

"When Sherry said that you were here on the Ark Cradle working with her to destroy the city, I couldn't believe it… but you're here… wearing those clothes… How… how could you…?"

I noticed tears start to fill Luna's eyes as I spoke. "Please, let me explain-"

I was suddenly silenced as Luna slapped me across the face. I instinctively flinched, memories of my stepfather's abuse bubbling to the surface. I heard Akiza gasp, and Sherry and Jack stopped their conversation to look my way. I put a hand to my cheek. The fact that Luna slapped me hurt so much more than her actual slap.

"You told me you'd never do anything to hurt me!" Luna yelled at me. "Well, what do you call teaming up with the bad guys to destroy the city and kill us?!" Luna pushed a big breath of air out. "I can't… I can't _believe_ that you would…"

"Luna, while Tyler knows what he did, what he tried to do was wrong, you must know it's more complicated than that." Akiza tried to explain. My mind wandered back to when Luna and I told Akiza about us, and how she reacted. Now, it was the same, only Akiza was trying to help me with Luna.

"What's complicated about it?! He was trying to destroy the city!" Luna shouted, turning to me. "I thought that you were better than Sly… than, than Lester, but you're just the same as them!" Luna started breathing heavily. "Please… just stay away from me…" she mumbled.

"Yeah! You hurt my sister! Y-you mean poopface!" Leo yelled, cheeks puffed. "I'm not allowed to swear, but you know what I mean!" he defended himself.

The knowledge of my stepfather's physical abuse, and even Luna's own slap paled in comparison to the pain I felt knowing that Luna wanted nothing more to do with me. It was as though Luna had run a knife right through my heart. I never meant to hurt her, but it was too late now.

"If you want me to stay away, that's fine." I said softly, turning away from the group and walking over to the edge of the platform, fully intent on taking my life. After all, there was no point in living anymore. Joel was still alive, and more importantly, Luna hated me. I had nothing else.

"Oh no! We are _not_ doing this here!" Akiza snapped, rushing over and pulling me back to 'safety'.

"Let him jump." Joel sighed. "Then this conversation can end."

Akiza turned to my stepbrother, still keeping a firm grip on my body. "You bastard! How can you even say that?"

"Technically, _Tyler's_ the bastard." Joel remarked. "But seriously, he's just threatening to do it for attention. He won't jump. He's a coward."

"You're not even going to acknowledge your part in this, are you?" Sherry asked.

"It's got nothing to do with you, woman. Why don't you go and shave your armpits or drink yourself stupid."

"What the Hell's gotten into _you_?" Jack spoke up.

"Oh, shut up!" Joel barked, the sound of a running engine breaking through the tension. At the same time, the door that Jack was standing by slowly began to open. Most of the group turned to the direction that the Duel Runner engine sound was coming from. I quickly glanced over as well, Yusei's Duel Runner coming into view, pulling to a stop near us as he took his helmet off. The twins rushed over to him.

"Are you all okay?" Yusei asked quickly.

"Um… mostly…" Akiza muttered, still keeping me close to her. Yusei's eyes moved to mine, and though I felt obligated to say something, to apologize, I couldn't.

"We're fine…" Joel sighed. "It's just _this_ one that's having a mental breakdown." He remarked.

Sherry suddenly jumped to my defense. Well at least I _think_ she did. " _Me faut retourner à la pute qui m'a accouchée_ …"

Joel scrunched his face, shaking his head. "I don't… whatever, bitch… Speak whatever language you like. Doesn't matter what you're saying. You're not being clever or witty by speaking a language I don't understand. I'll just pretend you're retarded like he is."

Though I was quite upset by Joel's words, Sherry chuckled. "I'd hate to make you look like any less of a man by knocking you around, but if you want to get the shit beaten out of you, keep talking. I'm sure nobody'll mind." She said.

"Go ahead and try! You wouldn't be the first woman I've hit 'cause they didn't know their place!" Joel snapped.

"Listen, we can't stand here and go on about whatever this is! We need to go and take care of Zone!" Jack barked.

"Jack, Joel's dad used to physically abuse Tyler!" Akiza yelled.

There was a sudden silence, not unlike that night at the Gala. Though thankfully, people weren't angry with me, or at least angrier than they already were with me. I couldn't tell what anyone was thinking based on their facial expressions, but I noticed Yusei especially seemed particularly unnerved by the revelation. It was surprising, as he was normally such a stoic person.

"How do you know that?" Yusei asked softly.

"Tyler got his memories back. He told me. He remembers everything." Akiza explained, Yusei turning to me.

"Tyler, that's-" he began, but then stopped himself, instead turning to Joel. "Is that true?"

"Yusei, you can't-" Akiza started, Yusei cutting her off.

"I want to hear it from him." Yusei said firmly.

Joel's eyes twitched. "Why the Hell are you guys getting mad at _me_ for?! _I_ wasn't the one who hit him! I've _never_ hit him!"

My eyes focused on Joel, and for a moment, I felt out of breath. That wasn't true.

"You might not have done it yourself, but you encouraged it to happen! You told him it was okay!" Sherry shouted.

"Why the fuck does it matter anyway?! Going over it now isn't going to change anything! Besides, don't you guys have to kill God or some shit?"

Jack looked as though he wanted to beat Joel beyond recognition, but Yusei stopped him. "Joel's… Joel's right. We do have to deal with Zone. We have to save the city, but…" Yusei turned to face my stepbrother. "What you and your father did can't be fixed, and Tyler will have to live with what's happened for the rest of his life."

"Big deal." Joel sighed. "As soon as we're outta here, he'll kill himself. It doesn't matter." He said quickly. I couldn't tell if Joel was goading me into reacting, or if he'd read my mind.

"You need to shut your mouth." Jack said sternly.

Joel chuckled. "You gonna make me?" he taunted.

"Jack…" Yusei called. "Now's not the time… We have to go…"

"Hold on," Akiza paused. "What happened to the other guy that came with us? The one that went with you, Yusei?"

Yusei sighed, looking down. "He was my opponent at the Planetary Gear… And… it was Bruno…" he murmured. Everyone apart from myself, Sherry, and Joel gasped, Yusei taking a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Bruno's real name was Antinomy. He arrived here from the future after being created by Zone, but he lost his memory. S-so while he might've been on Zone's side in the beginning, the person that was Bruno and those feelings he had for us, they were real. He didn't know he was being manipulated until it was too late, and even then, he taught me how to fight against Zone. He showed me how to evolve my Synchro Summon to a higher level, and then… he died protecting me…"

"Bruno…" Jack muttered, shaking his head. "Alright! That's it! You're right, Yusei! Zone has to pay for what he's done!" Jack quickly turned, darting his eyes between Sherry and I. "You guys must know where Zone is, right?"

"Probably the Support Gear. It's a short walk through that door." I told them, pointing to the open door that we'd all been standing by. "You can cart your Duel Runners in if you'd like. I'd expect Zone wants to Duel to decide the fate of New Domino."

Yusei and the others nodded, moving to retrieve their Duel Runners and Duel Boards. Joel's shoulder grazed mine as Sherry walked over to me.

"Don't kill yourself." Sherry whispered. "If you do, Joel wins. He's not worth it. Stay alive to prove to him that you have a life worth living."

My eyes followed the Signers one by one as they headed through the door in a single file, my focus sticking to Luna, who aside from Sherry and myself, was the last person to enter. "It's not about him anymore…" I muttered, sighing. "Anyway, we should probably get inside."

Sherry nodded.

* * *

I looked around the room I'd found myself in, keeping a good distance between myself and the Signers. There were large piles of old scrap machinery all around the room, the walls looking very much identical to those that housed the Planetary Gears, although there was no Momentum flowing through the walls.

"Team 5D's…" Zone's voice echoed around the room. While Joel and the Signers had difficulty seeing where he was, Sherry and I noticed him sitting high atop a pile of junk. For a brief moment, my heart stopped. Zone was no longer assuming the appearance of Taze. Instead, the form sitting atop the scrap was Luna. I found myself beginning to breathe quicker, as I glanced to my side, confirming that the real Luna was standing with Yusei, as far from me as possible.

"You…! You're Zone?!" Jack asked, looking as though he and the other Signers had caught sight of him. I had no idea what form Zone was showing to them, but I knew I was probably the only one who could see him the way I did. "So you've finally decided to show yourself!" Jack yelled.

Zone smiled. "Of course… I had to wait and make sure you were as strong as I thought you'd be. To be honest, you're stronger than I realized, and I must admit, you all Dueled admirably." Zone then looked towards Sherry and I. "You even managed to turn two of my followers against me…"

Sherry breathed heavily. "I let your words poison me because you look like my father. I know that my _real_ father would never have wanted me to dwell on the past and take the lives of innocent people. Not when his life was taken the same way! I'll fight for my parents by living for the future!"

Zone chuckled. "I simply show what your heart desires… For you to have been so easily led, just because I look like your father… He must have kept your heart on a string…"

"Shut up!" Sherry shouted.

"Very well… You're entitled to your own beliefs, no matter how delusional they may be… But what about you, Tyler? I thought you wanted Joel dead… Yet here you both are, alive… together… I gave you everything you needed to fulfill your desires and you squandered it."

I stamped my feet on the ground, trying to stop my legs from shaking as I kept my eyes on Zone. "Joel deserves to die for what he's done, but the people of New Domino City don't. Killing innocent people is unforgivable, but more than that, I'd rather die fighting alongside the people I love than live serving under you."

"…So be it…" Zone's voice echoed around the otherwise silent room, his words ringing in my head. "Let this be a lesson to all who dare to defy the God of Destruction…"

Instinctively I reached up, gently running my middle finger just below my nose. My eyes went wide as I saw blood on my finger after pulling it away. The next thing I knew, I felt my consciousness start to slip away, until there was nothing left.

* * *

Warmth.

I could feel it all around me, sunlight filtering through my eyelids as my consciousness stirred. Involuntarily, I made a sound, surprisingly met with a reply.

"Tyler!" I heard Yusei shout, little bits of feeling and sensation trickling through me. It wasn't long before I became aware of my orientation. I was seated, holding onto something – someone's chest. They had their arms interlocked with mine as though to stop me from falling off of something.

I groaned a little bit more as I was able to open my eyes, feeling crust from the corners of my eyes fall away. As my vision improved, I discovered I was riding on the back of Yusei's Duel Runner, which had somehow, someway, been adorned with giant fiery red wings. We were flying through the air toward a Cliffside area of New Domino City which overlooked the ocean, where Akiza, Jack, Leo, Luna, Sherry and Joel were waiting.

Eventually, Yusei's Duel Runner touched down, the side-railings where the acceleration and the brakes were located unlocking. Yusei put the Duel Runner into park as he helped me to my feet.

" _Yusei_!" the Signers shouted, rushing over to us, Akiza almost jumping into Yusei's arms, kissing him quickly.

"What… What happened…?" I mumbled, still a little out of it.

"Zone killed you," Jack told me. "And then Yusei gambled your life on the outcome of his Duel with Zone. I'm surprised Zone kept his promise, but I'm glad you're alive." He smiled, reaching out to shake my hand.

By this time, I had regained complete control over, and awareness of, my body. And I noticed as I reached my hand out to Jack's that all of the injuries I had sustained were gone. There wasn't even any blood on my uniform. I was now completely healthy, at least physically.

I didn't have long to appreciate that, however, as I remembered Joel was still alive and nearby. I turned to him, noticing that he'd probably been staring at me the whole time.

Now knowing what I knew, and how I'd been lied to, I couldn't leave things how they were. I kept my eye contact with Joel, walking up to him until we were only a few feet apart, making sure my expression was as neutral and unthreatening as possible.

"I don't like…" I began, pondering and choosing my words carefully. "I don't like owing people things… Forget for a moment that you've ruined my life… I know the only reason that you spent any time with me was because you felt obligated or guilty or whatever… so…" I sighed. "This is what's going to happen: I'm going to get a job and earn some money to pay you back for the money you've spent on me, and then… I never want anything to do with you again."

"Okay." Joel nodded.

"Alright. Good." I said sternly, huffing and turning away. I hesitated for a moment. It was that same confusion and emptiness I felt after Yusei had defeated the Dark Signers, although this time I knew exactly who I was, and I hated it. Evidently, Luna did too, and that was really all that mattered to me in the end. I sighed, closing my eyes as I started walking down the street, away from my friends.

"Tyler, where are you going?!" Yusei called.

"Home." I answered back, not bothering to stop.

"You can't go back home!" he shouted.

I stopped, turning back to him, averting Luna's eyes as best I could. "Why not?"

"Your apartment's gone back into Blister's name." Yusei sighed. "It's-"

"Never mind then." I cut Yusei off, continuing my leave.

Yusei called out to me once more, but his words didn't quite reach me. I realized too late that I'd been fighting on the wrong side, and because of that, my relationship with Luna, and really all my friends, was over. I had no place to call home. I kept walking, afraid to look back, not wanting to see the look of disdain that I'm sure Luna had on her face.

I felt much more inclined to look at the streets and the buildings I had only, hours ago, tried to destroy. As I walked, I knew there was no other place left I could go, and so I headed for the one place I knew a person like me belonged: the Public Security Bureau.

* * *

The Bureau, Hell – the city itself, was empty when I arrived, most likely due to the evacuation that I knew they'd been organizing. I knew eventually someone would show up, and so I waited just outside. Although I wanted to pay Joel back, I wasn't quite sure I'd be able to now, especially if I wound up in the Facility, which was very much a possibility. Still though, it's what I felt I deserved, so I waited. I waited until the sound of a young woman's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Hey…"

My body jerked quickly, looking up from the sidewalk just outside the Bureau to the direction of the woman's voice.

"S-Seria…"

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

I sat up, feeling that part of my hair was now standing up awkwardly. "I, um… I wanna turn myself in…" I mumbled.

Seria looked puzzled. "What for?"

"For trying to kill everybody." I whined. "I was working with Zone, that guy that tried to destroy New Domino City, to try and kill my stepbrother Joel for what he did. I-I almost did… Th-that's attempted murder, isn't it?"

"I'm not quite sure I follow you. What did your stepbrother do to you that made you want to kill him?"

As I attempted to explain all that had happened since I'd last seen her, I started choking up.

"Hey, hey, it's alright…" Seria cooed, rubbing my back with one of her hands. "Listen, why don't we go inside, and I'll get you a drink. You can tell me everything then."

* * *

Seria sat across from me, eyes wide, pupils dilated, as I'd finished telling her everything that I'd thought was necessary… which was everything. How my father died, how my mom remarried. My stepdad's physical abuse, what kind of person Joel _really_ was. How I foolishly tried to kill the only people that treated me like I mattered.

Surprisingly, Seria didn't interrupt me at all while I told her my story. She just sat and waited patiently until I had finished. "Well…" she said after a long while. "I'm happy for you that you were able to get your memories back. I thought the equipment we had at the Arcadia Movement made it impossible to retrieve a person's memories, so it's good to hear that this Zone person was able to help you in that regard at least. I'm terribly sorry though that you had to go through all of that abuse with your stepdad. If I had've known what memories were being erased when we were doing the brainwashing, I would have pushed Sayer into pursuing alternative options." Seria's expression changed again as she got out of her seat and moved over to me. "Come here," she spoke softly, pulling me into a hug. I wasn't really in the mood for hugging, to be honest, but after a few moments, I relented. "The way I see it, you working with Zone is like how I was working for Sayer. You forgave me for that, and seeing as how you ended up letting Joel go in the end, it sounds like you forgave him too. As for you no longer having a place to live, you can stay with me until you've figured things out."

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to inconvenience you. And I shouldn't anyway, I-"

"Listen, Tyler. The truth is, I feel bad for everything I've put you through, especially now. Please, at least stay with me for a few days. I can't have you sleeping on the streets, and I can't have you spending your nights in jail."

"No-no-no, I can't. I just tried to destroy the city, a-and with you offering to let me stay with you e-even for a few days, it's like I was being rewarded for it."

"Tyler…! I'm not taking 'no' for an answer…" she smiled, taking my hands in hers and then squeezing them softly.

Seria was right. I didn't have anywhere to go, and though I deserved to be punished for what I did, I would've preferred anything over the cold isolation of a jail cell. And there was probably no better company for me right now than Seria, especially with her being so understanding.

"O-okay… If you're happy with that, I'll stay with you for a while."


	21. Dead Black (Heart of Ice)

The clock on the wall continued to tick as each second passed. I tapped my finger softly on the desk, my eyesight blurry as I inadvertently stared at a computer screen. I blinked several times, realizing I was sitting at a computer desk in the workroom of the Daimon Square Public Library and remembered that I was supposed to be working.

I'd been working at the Daimon Square Public Library for the past few months to pay off the debt I owed to Joel. I wasn't working out of enjoyment. I was working solely to pay off the money that Joel had given me. In truth, I'd actually paid him back everything I owed a while ago, but I was still contracted to work, and so for some reason or another, I did, probably because it would have been a hassle to get released from my contract early.

While I was working to earn the money for Joel, I had a purpose, albeit an incredibly minute one. I had a distraction to keep my mind off of everything that had happened, everything that I'd done. Now though, with nothing to distract me, I was left to face the cold, hard truth.

The last six months, the last year, Hell, my entire life, meant nothing.

I hadn't spoken to Luna at all since that day on the Ark Cradle, with the last thing she said to me being "stay away from me.", so our relationship was pretty much dead. She'd had the means to contact me and chose not to, and I, to be fair, did the same. My reason for not contacting her was that I'd thought I'd said all I could – what needed to be said, and if she wanted to talk to me she would. She didn't, which proved she didn't want anything more to do with me.

I hadn't heard from anyone else, aside from Sherry, who went back to her home in France soon after the whole Ark Cradle incident. Everyone else, I assumed, had simply moved on with their lives. As for me, I was back to how I was exactly one year ago:

Pathetic.

I must've zoned out for a while, because Paul, an older man of higher authority than I was (as far as Libraries go), slammed his hand down against the book I'd been neglecting to discard. "Hey! Tyler! Don't fucking _stop_! And don't be so fucking methodical either! Just check on the system, tear out the tags and destroy the barcode! Like _this_!" he shouted, grabbing the thick black marker from my hand and scribbling on the book's barcode at its front.

One of the other people in the workroom, Lili, who was a Librarian – the same as Paul, looked at him with disgust from another desk. " _Paul_! You can't just say that to him!"

"No, no. It's quite alright." For some reason or another, I attempted to defend him. "I should be moving at a faster pace."

"Even so, there's no reason for him to talk to you like that." Lili retorted. "I-I'm sorry, Paul, but I'm going to have to let Kelly know. This is unacceptable…" Lili moved out from her seat and headed for Kelly's door.

Kelly was Paul's boss, and I guess mine as well, though I didn't really have much interaction with her since starting as a Casual Library Officer. Paul was very much an enigma. One moment, he was smiling and goofing off. The next, he was swearing and complaining about pointless things that didn't even matter. I knew _that_ more so from dealing with the Dark Signers and Yliaster and everything else. But it showed me how pointless life was as well. How pointless _my_ life was.

I heard Lili recount to Kelly inside her office how Paul had spoken to me, and Kelly came out, a fire in her eyes. "Paul, I need to see you in my office now, please." She said firmly.

"Y-yes, ma'am…" Paul muttered. Whatever bravado he had was instantly ripped to shreds within seconds thanks to Kelly.

I couldn't help but snicker, renewing my focus in discarding the items I still had to work through. Every so often though, I would glance at the clock on the wall, and count down the minutes until closing time.

* * *

I arrived home in a pretty foul mood, which was really no different than any other day since I'd recovered my memories. The early afternoon sun shone through the window, temporarily blinding me as I made my way inside the Tops ground apartment.

The first thing I did was take off my belt, as I'd put on something like forty pounds since starting the job. I could barely give a shit about anything, to be honest, much less my health.

Seria was still at work. Unlike me, she had a fixed work schedule, and the two of us were almost like two ships passing in the night. That is, I seldom saw her except for an hour or so before going to bed. I couldn't complain though. She'd been so good to me. I didn't deserve her. She took me in and gave me a home, but I knew I was little more than a burden to her.

There was nothing else left for me to do. Nothing more I could do.

To be honest, ever since getting my memories back, I hated every moment of my life. Everything I had done was so naïve and stupid. I wanted to apologize to Yusei and Jack for everything I'd put them through, not only recently but also during my time in Team Satisfaction. I wanted to apologize to Akiza and the twins, Luna especially, for cutting them out and pushing them away again.

And so, fetching an old pen and some paper, along with a couple of envelopes, I sat down on the couch to write my apologies.

And final goodbyes.

* * *

"I'm ho~ome!" Seria called as she walked through the door, the click-clack of her heels against the tiles. The sound and light of the television protruded from the living room where I was sitting to write, occasionally glancing up at the screen to watch what was on.

"Hey!" I called back as Seria came into the living room. " _You're_ home early. How was work?"

"Yeah, the meeting was canceled. Lai's in a bad way though. Her back's getting worse." Seria sighed. "Anyway, how was your day? Were you offered a new contract?"

"Yeah… yeah, I _was_ offered a new contract. I declined."

"What?! Why?" Seria asked.

I exhaled quietly. "I just… I just think that's it for me…"

"So… are you going to look for _another_ job then?"

"…No."

"What are you writing?" Seria suddenly asked, moving closer toward me. Her arm brushed against my shoulder as I saw her body tighten. "Are you writing _personalized suicide notes_?!"

I licked my lips. "Yes." I said bluntly, truthfully. "I've almost finished writing yours. Then I've just got Joel's left." I looked down, continuing to write.

"Oh my God…" Seria whispered. "You're serious…"

"Well there's no point in lying, is there? Two fucking jack-offs used me and lied to me for years. So since ya asked, yes… I am serious. That's why I didn't want my contract renewed." I stopped writing only when Seria grabbed the pen from my hand. I flinched from the sudden contact with her hand, looking up at her.

"Okay, Tyler, just calm down, okay…" Seria cautioned. "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Whatever you're feeling, I can help you with. If you need medication, o-or if you need to talk to someone, we can go and see a specialist."

"That's not gonna work, Seria. Now give me the pen back."

"Why?! Why do you want to kill yourself?!"

"Because that's all there is for me! All I feel now is just all this fucking pent up shit and it's just in every facet, every part of my life. All I think about, all I see, all I remember is just pain and anger. And I just can't do it anymore." I sighed heavily, hanging my head in irritancy. "Everything's just messed up, and it can't be fixed. I was happier when I had amnesia… At least _then_ , I didn't know about my past…" I sighed once more, closing my eyes and quickly tapping my fingers against my forehead. "Goddamn it…" I whispered, shaking my head. "Seria… the technology that Sayer used to give me amnesia…"

It was a while before Seria replied. "…Yes?"

"Would there be a way to…" I paused, trying to figure out the right words to use. "Would there be a way to get that technology back, a-and use it on me so I could… forget everything that's happened?"

" _Tyler_!" Seria shouted, seemingly appalled at my question. "How can you even _think_ of asking me something like that?!"

"Well _is there_?!" I snapped back. "I told you, I can't deal with all of this… this _crap_! Everything that I know and that I feel is just depressing garbage!" My voice became softer. "I've tried, Seria… I've tried, but… I can't move on… not from this." I sighed. "My only two options are forgetting everything or embracing death. That's it."

"All the brainwashing equipment was lost when the Earthbound Immortals attacked the Arcadia Movement, but even if it wasn't, I still wouldn't use it on you. I couldn't."

"Why not?!"

" _Because I screwed up your life enough_!" Seria yelled.

" _My life was already screwed up_!" I insisted. "Trust me, the only people stopping me from killing myself back then were Yusei, Jack, Crow and Kalin! But Crow and Kalin are dead now, and Yusei and everyone else probably hate my guts!"

"How do you know? You haven't even spoken to them in months."

"They haven't even tried contacting me! And I almost brought about genocide! I think that's about as clear-cut as it gets."

"Have you actually tried calling them?"

I left out a puff of air in scorn. "Like they'd even give me the time of day. Luna told me to stay away from her, and Leo called me a 'mean poopface', which is just a nice way of saying 'motherfucking asshole'." I brought my left hand up to wipe some grime off my face. "Besides, that's why I'm writing these letters. 'Cause I know they'll delete any email I send and probably just block all my calls. I write these, deliver them while they're out, and then disappear forever. It's just better for everyone that way." I turned to Seria. "Now… I need the pen back, please…"

Seria quickly shook her head. "N-no! Tyler, this is ridiculous!"

"Oh, yep." I tensed. " _Ridiculous_. Okay. _I'm_ ridiculous!"

Seria sighed. "No, that's not what I meant."

I picked up Seria's letter, before tossing it to her. "Well if you're not gonna let me finish writing yours, you can have it now then. I was just gonna put that I've greatly appreciated your support over the last few months, and that I hope you never change who you are." I stood shakily, exhaling heavily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some letters to deliver."

I couldn't even make it out between the couch and the table before Seria stopped me, pulling me back. "You don't _seriously_ think I'm gonna let you leave now that I know you're gonna try and kill yourself, do you?" Seria asked. "Just sit down! We need to talk about this!"

"Why do you care so much?! This isn't up to you, Seria! This is my life, I've had enough, and I'm ending it!" I snapped, ripping my hand from her grip as I rushed to the door, opening it wide and then slamming it shut as I left.

* * *

_Luna,_

_I have no idea how to start this letter, so I'm just going to say what I need to say._

_I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'm a selfish person, to be sure. All I could think about back then on the Ark Cradle was making my brother pay for what he'd done, and you ended up getting caught in the crossfire. My feelings of negativity were wrongly projected and I understand now that the problem lies with me. I must thank you for having put up with me whilst we were together. I'm sure it wasn't easy. Neither you, nor anyone else will have to do that anymore._

_I've been thinking about you every day since the mess on the Ark Cradle, and I hope you're doing well. I'm so grateful to have met you and have gotten to know you. The time I spent with you is something I will always treasure, and you will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm sorry that it didn't work out between us and I hope one day you'll be able to find someone who can truly make you happy._

_Farewell,_

_Tyler_

My fingers ran along the crease at the top of the envelope as I rode the elevator to the top floor, the words I'd written to her continuously running through my head. As a synthesized bell dinged, the elevator doors opened, and I quickly but quietly made my way over to the front door of her penthouse.

My body felt hollow and my breathing picked up. I bent down and slid the envelope under the door, noticing there was another letter on the ground addressed to the twins as well, so I slid that under the door too. My heart skipped a beat and I quickly hurried back to the elevator, rapidly tapping the button to open the doors, and not even looking back as they opened and I stepped inside, the doors closing behind me.

* * *

Surprisingly, I didn't have nearly as much emotional difficulty delivering my letters for Yusei and Jack to Poppo Time, or Akiza's letter to her place, as I did with Luna.

None of them ended up being home, so I left the letters for Yusei and Jack with Zora, and Akiza's with her parents, hoping that they wouldn't be immediately torn up upon receiving them.

I stood at the shoreline in the Satellite Sector, looking out towards the water, the Daedalus Bridge directly above me. Activity in the Satellite was relatively minor, but I couldn't believe how much it had changed, at least in a cosmetic sense. After all, I hadn't really come back except for Crow's funeral, and then I'd really only visited Martha's Place, which didn't really seem to have changed.

I took a deep breath, exhaling with force as I knelt down, removing my shoes and socks and placing them by the curb, a little bit of elevated concrete just before the wide ocean gap between Satellite and New Domino.

I'd thought about how I was gonna do it. For quite a while actually. Hanging myself in Seria's apartment would have sullied her hands, and jumping in front of a car or truck would have probably destroyed the life of whoever I jumped in front of. Plus, there was always a chance that with either of those, I'd survive. No. The best thing, I figured, was just to drown myself. That way, no one would be implicated.

I'd been staring out at the water for much longer than I thought, because by the time I decided on getting it all over with, moving forward and jumping off into the ocean, I heard a Duel Runner pull up behind me. I flinched, looking out of the corner of my eye to see Jack take off his helmet. "There you are. Jeez, you're hard to find."

It felt like my heart was stuck in my throat and I was suffocating. "J-J-Jack… hey… what are you doing here?" I asked softly, turning fully to face him.

Jack smiled, turning back to his Duel Runner, pressing a button on it and detaching his Duel Disk, before looking over at me. "I was looking for you."

"Y-you were?"

Jack nodded. "I've been going around, defeating any Duelists that I remember having defeated me. There was one time, in this very place, where you defeated me. We haven't Dueled each other since then, so in my eyes, I need to make up for that loss before I can move on. So how 'bout it? You up for a Duel?"

"I lost my Deck, remember?" I told him, also showing him that I didn't have a Duel Disk or anything attached. "You'd beat me easily anyway."

"You don't have any other cards?"

I sighed. "No, Jack. I don't. Not all of us have sponsors."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

I grimaced, realizing what I'd said had come out wrong. "Jack, I just mean that-"

"'Cause you look like you're doing okay for yourself. Nice suit, and you're _clearly_ well-fed by the look of you. You could afford a new Deck if you wanted, _surely_."

I felt myself on the verge of exploding. "Just piss off, Jack."

"What the Hell's your problem?" Jack barked.

"Everything, okay?! _Everything_!" I snapped. "That's why I'm here, that's why I _came_ here in the first place! I am _messed_ _up_! I am _fucked_ in the _head_! Of course, you can't see that! You can only see what _you_ want and _only_ if it benefits _you_! That's why you left Team Satisfaction! Not because you thought Kalin had taken everything too far, but because you couldn't handle not being the center of attention! And that's why you became the King of Turbo Duels all those years ago, and that's why you want to Duel me now!"

"Why, you…!" Jack didn't hesitate in reaching for my clothes and hoisting me up into the air.

"Go ahead. Do whatever the fuck you want to me. Make my job easier!" I snapped, spitting in his face. Jack winced, letting go as I fell to the ground. I hit my head on the pavement and just laid there in silence.

Jack stood over me, seething with rage. "You talk like you're perfect! This is the first time I've seen you since the Ark Cradle, and you were fighting _against_ us! You talk about all this shit I've done in the past, but at least I've learned about how to be a decent person. You'd never catch me betraying Yusei or anyone else now! But you… you just do whatever the Hell you see fit. You haven't learned anything; you're more a terrible person now than I _ever_ was!"

I started laughing. "You think I don't know that?" I got to my feet. "That's why I'm _here_!"

"Whatever!" Jack barked. "You can do whatever you like because _I am done helping you_!"

Jack turned and walked back over to his Duel Runner in silence. I wasn't going to let him have the last word though. "Hey!" I called to him. "There's a letter waiting for you at home, but you don't have to read it, you know, since we've cleared the air here!" I shouted, venom in my voice.

Jack huffed, slid his helmet over his head, revved his Duel Runner, and shot off, turning back onto the Daedalus Bridge.

I hated the fact that my last conversation with someone had to be brimming in negativity, but it couldn't be helped. I turned back to look at the glistening water, stepping up onto the curb. Clenching my fists and closing my eyes, I forced myself forward, falling into the cold water with a splash.

The water hit me with a vicious slap as I began to descend down into the depths, letting my body get dragged down deeper. As I sank, the temperature of the water began to drop and my chest began to burn, my lungs deprived of oxygen.

I hoped that in my death I could be forgiven for all the wrongs I'd committed. I wished things could have been different, but they weren't. The water's freezing embrace chilled me to my core, my only companion in the midst of my loneliness.

_"My name is Explosivo… and I'm here to protect you…"_

_"My name's Yusei Fudo. It's not safe to be out here all on your own. If you'd like, you can come with me. I know a place you can stay…"_

_"How you're feeling now is perfectly normal, so don't worry. My name is Seria, what's yours?"_

_"You're human right?! Are you here to rescue me by any chance?!"_

_"You're just a selfish child and I don't want to hear from you again!"_

_"Best friends."_

_"We don't know where Bruno is, but… Crow… He… he's dead…"_

_"I have many names. God. Kami. Zone. Whichever you feel comfortable calling me will be just fine."_

_"I thought that you were better than Sly… than, than Lester, but you're just the same as them! Please… just stay away from me…"_

My heart began to beat with more rapidness, as if it was trying to compensate for my body's lack of oxygen. I groaned as my head started to hurt, a shimmering of darkness crossing my vision as I descended down into the quiet black.

Down…

Down..

Down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. That's the end of "Pains of Identity". Writing both "Reverse of Arcadia" and "Pains of Identity" has been a fun, strenuous and emotional experience to say the least. I'd like to once again thank AnimeAndMangaFan for their unending support and collaboration, without which I wouldn't have been able to write something which I consider to be the best thing I've ever written.
> 
> I'd also like to thank everyone who's read both "Reverse of Arcadia" and "Pains of Identity", and reviewed, faved, and so on. I cannot overstate the feeling I get when I receive a notification that someone's reviewed my story. It really brings a smile to my face, and it really brightens my day. I hope that at the very least, you've found this story to be entertaining, but have also taken away some messages from both stories as well.
> 
> This isn't the end of Tyler Nochi though. There's a sequel, called "Arc of Eternity", which you should be able to find on my profile page. Be sure to give it a read if you're at all interested.
> 
> Finally, once again, thank you to everyone who's read "Pains of Identity". I hope you've enjoyed it.


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